Features / coffee
Big ambitions for small Stokes Croft coffee roaster
Jo Thompson was not planning to have a career in coffee until a trip to California opened his eyes to its possibilities. Upon returning to Bristol, he put together a business plan and started roasting beans in the window of Elemental where Stokes Croft becomes Cheltenham Road.
That was two years ago and since then Triple Co Roast has outgrown its original premises, with Jo and his first employee, Vinny, now based in a small unit on Charles Street – in a building that used to be the storeroom of Happytat on Stokes Croft.
With a 10kg capacity, Jo’s new machine – made by Proaster in South Korea – is five times as big as his original machine, enabling him to get a more consistent roast as well as saving him lots of time.
is needed now More than ever
Inside Triple Co Roast’s new home on Charles Street
Jo has recently been on a research trip to Colombia where he returned with some rare speciality Geisha coffee in his own backpack. He has built up a strong relationship with a coffee cooperative in the south of the country, led by farmer José and his family, who will soon be sending him one and a half tonnes of coffee, the company’s biggest ever order.
Jo, who grew up in Knowle before moving to Redland, going to school at Hotwells Primary and Cotham, is proud of being able to deal directly with a farmer – something not done by many companies as young and small as Triple Co Roast.
“I only care about good quality coffee,” says Jo, taking a break from roasting on a recent Thursday afternoon. “It was quite ambitious to go direct to the farms early, but by going as directly as I can I am able to be open, and people can ask me questions.”
Triple Co Roast is proud of its Stokes Croft roots
Twenty-three-year-old Jo worked as a barista before founding Triple Co Roast, and he still works in the cafe inside Elemental twice a week, often using it as a place to test brand new batches.
Elsewhere in Bristol, his coffee can always be found in Milk Teeth in St Paul’s, No. 25a Old Market and No. 12 Easton, as well as guest slots in the likes of Small Street Espresso, Full Court Press, Playground, Society and Convoy Espresso.
“I’m feeling good right now,” Jo says. “Bristol is a great place to be starting out because people from Bristol are very locally-minded. The first year in business was tough, but I’m feeling confident about the future.”
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