Birmingham · United Kingdom
Quarter Horse Coffee
Quarter Horse Coffee roasts in Birmingham, West Midlands.
Since 2012 · Nathan Retzer, Ameeta Retzer
Overview
Quarter Horse was founded as a cafe in Oxford in 2012 by husband-and-wife Nathan and Ameeta Retzer, then relocated to Ameeta's hometown Birmingham in 2015 to start roasting — making it Birmingham's first independent specialty coffee roastery. Nathan is a Q-Grader who roasted in the US before moving to the UK and worked with Square Mile and Store Street Espresso pre-launch.
Known for
- First independent specialty roaster in Birmingham
- In-cafe roastery with full visibility
- Q-Grader-led sourcing
- Yemenia Mother Population transparency program
- Carbon-conscious operations
Why it matters
Birmingham's foundational specialty roastery. Pioneered the cafe-roastery transparency model in the UK's second city and uses price-transparent campaigns (e.g. UNICEF Yemen Appeal donations) to push the conversation on producer economics.
Production
- head roaster
- Nathan Retzer
- roaster machine
- Giesen W15A; additional 20kg Giesen for espresso production; 100% electric roaster for single origins (with solar offset)
- roastery location
- Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham (10 Kenyon Street, since late 2022)
Café
10 Kenyon Street, Birmingham B18 6AR
Recognitions
- Featured in Caffeine Magazine for El Salvador lot
- Top 25 cafes in UK (The Guardian, The Independent, The Telegraph)