Guerrilla Roasters was founded in 2018 by Lewis McKenzie and Mathew Hatcher. We started with the idea of roasting the absolute best coffee we could get our hands on. Every bean we purchase is fully traceable and we only buy from suppliers who work with farmers on sustainability and quality. Our belief is that a great cup of coffee starts on the farm. We strive to visit our partners all over the world to not only follow the bean to cup but also to build lasting relationships between farmers and those tasting the finished product.

Our aim is to lead the way and not conform to what people think we should be. We are a small batch roaster more concerned with quality than being one of the big guys. We want to work with like minded cafe owners who are in it purely for the passion and want a quality product.

We are incredibly passionate about sourcing Specialty Arabica coffee. Why we do what we do and why it matters?

Commodity Grade Coffee
Coffee, when treated as a commodity, is defined as a uniform product that is interchangeable with another coffee of the same type. This makes up the majority of coffee consumed around the world. Commodity coffee is traded on the New York Coffee Exchange, and the price is set on the world market without regard to intrinsic coffee quality.

Commodity coffee offers neutral or negative flavour attributes without provenance, which means buyers switch to the lowest price offer on the market with no commitment to long-term relationships. Volatile pricing means farmers cannot plan for their future.

Speciality Grade Coffee

The Speciality Coffee Association (SCA) defines Speciality Coffees as those with positive flavour attributes, and which are assigned a score of 80+ based on numerous attributes which contribute to the taste. These evaluations are based on fixed criteria which are used through the speciality coffee industry. At Guerrilla Roasters we only buy and source Speciality Grade, 100 per cent Arabica, and select our coffees through a careful quality evaluation which includes tastings (cuppings) and farm visits.

Speciality grade coffee production needs more investment than commodity coffee, as it is often grown on higher altitudes with steep slopes which are difficult to clamber up. Care and attention to detail is required through the season. Hand-picking is needed to select perfectly ripe cherries. Processing must be carried out with exceptional care. Yield is lower as low quality and defects are removed.

We focus solely on high-quality Speciality Coffee because we believe it is the route to long-term sustainability for coffee farmers. Farmers can be proud of what they produce and increase their income (focussing on Speciality Coffee allows us to pay above market prices), and we get to enjoy delicious coffee – everyone wins.

This is, in our view, is the future of sustainable coffee.

Trade partner

We work solely with Project Origin who are based in Canberra, Australia. They have relationships with farmers in over 20 coffee producing countries and portions of our sales go back into development on farms and communities in those regions. All coffees are completely traceable and their ethos and business practices align perfectly with ours.

We also have a direct trade partnership with Ramiro Bermudez from Finca el Encanto in Manzanares, Colombia. This trade partnership was started in 2018 when we met his daughter Lorena who lives in Sydney. We are proud to support the Bermudez family in their journey from commodity coffee trading to Specialty. Each year we purchase Ramiro’s entire crop that is to specialty standard. We are investing in the farm and making sure all staff are on higher wages and working to produce higher quality. Please visit their Instagram page @coffeetourscol for more details. We look forward to hosting many people at the farm in the future.