The Story
In 2014, a small team of people working for established south London specialty coffee roastery Volcano Coffee Works brought together the UK’s leading independent specialty coffee shops and restaurants to share their experiences and define the ways in which a roastery could most effectively fulfil its role in the specialty coffee value chain. After six months of conversations, there was a clear vision for a new roastery that would source the highest quality specialty coffees in the world through the lens of its customers.
In April 2015, we launched Assembly Coffee as headline sponsors of the inaugural Coffee Masters at London Coffee Festival and there began our journey.
We spoke with Nick Mabey and Michael Cleland, who co-founded Assembly Coffee after crossing each other’s paths.
The ideal partnership that Nick and Michael have built is the foundation for Assembly Coffee, which continues to create new value through the resonance of their distinct personalities.
While I focused on the management side of the business such as marketing, he took care of all the practical aspects of coffee such as sourcing green coffee and roasting.
Independently-owned specialty coffee roasters in Brixton, London. We roast award-winning coffee for home and for wholesale.
Certified B-Corp and carbon neutral.
Visit us in Brixton, London and pull up a seat in Door – Coffee Bar – our on-site café where we serve our house coffees, favourite filters and extra-special limited edition releases.
Sourcing & Relationships
The curation of Assembly’s coffee catalogue is driven by purpose and impact. We source every coffee with the ambition of creating maximum value for stakeholders, while also highlighting more genuine (and therefore more impactful) narratives for the specialty coffee movement.
To facilitate this, our partnerships with producers are founded on collaboration at origin through multi-year projects.
Before COVID-19, he spent most of his time traveling to coffee origins and building long-term relationships because he believes that this is the only way to source unique coffee with character.
There is an organization called ‘Red Association’ that we have been involved with since founding the company. It’s like a Colombian coffee growers’ collective, and in a nutshell, it’s a group of growers who share resources while supplying a certain number of roasters in the UK with all their coffee. Unlike cooperatives, this system is not possible without a buyer who agrees to purchase coffee at a higher and steady pricing, so it’s easier to sustain the relationship.
Among the most relevant names associated with coffees found within the roasting circuit like Assembly are: CATA Export , one of the most influential platforms for experimental and co-fermented coffees; iconic producers such as Néstor Lasso , a benchmark for innovation in Colombia; Fidel Huancas in Peru; Linarco Rodríguez , known for his complex profiles and work in fermentations; and projects like Finca Los Nogales , which represent the new standard of quality at origin. This level of sourcing positions Assembly Coffee within a small group of roasters capable of offering coffees with very high traceability , differentiated sensory profiles and access to some of the most interesting lots on the current market.
Roasting Philosophy
In practice, this meant: Sourcing coffees that met the needs of its customers rather than for its own gratification. Informing the offerings through continuous evaluation of quantitative and qualitative data from across the coffee supply chain. Committing to always challenge existing mechanisms of value creation. Operating in ways that ensured long-term sustainability.
At its core, Assembly is about precision. Every coffee is roasted to highlight its inherent character, not to mask flaws or chase uniformity. That means seasonal flavour profiles, careful roast curves, and a willingness to let the raw coffees speak for themselves.
There are no compromises on coffee at Assembly: this is the core of our work at the roastery.
Assembly doesn’t roast their coffee, they roast it themselves with Assembly. We found out that cafés don’t just want to buy coffee from roasters, they want to be involved with them and work together towards shared goals and perspectives.
Drinking Assembly coffee is an exercise in clarity. The flavours are clean, structured, and expressive without ever feeling forced.
What stands out most is consistency. Even across different harvests and origins, there is a recognisable Assembly signature.
Director of coffee Joe McElhinney and roaster Katelyn Thompson roast over 500 kilograms of coffee weekly on Giesen machines (including a brand new Giesen WPG1).
What to Try
The Assembly Espresso Blend has been created in collaboration with some of the most esteemed specialty coffee shops in the UK. The coffees that make up the Blend are regularly refined according to crop seasonality and our sourcing programme. The Blend offers classic profile with prominent notes of chocolate and caramel, and a weighty texture. This is the coffee for someone who appreciates a rich, dense cup. Pair it with milk for a flavour reminiscent of banoffee pie.
For the latest Assembly House Espresso, Finca Santa Teresa have blended seven Caturra and Catuai microlots to create a smooth, sweet and silky coffee that shines as an espresso, whether served black or with milk. This season’s Assembly House Espresso is produced by Finca Santa Teresa, Panama. Expect flavours of milk chocolate and orange.
For the Assembly House Espresso, over multi-year partnerships, we work with a small group of producers to rotate the coffee seasonally, so that: - We celebrate the diversity in flavour of coffee, giving you the opportunity to experience multiple coffees. While the coffee changes, the flavour profile remains similar through each iteration. It always has the qualities we all love in a classic espresso, with a touch more acidity to please the palate.
Selected Espresso is Assembly Coffee’s flagship coffee capsule. It is a blend of honey and natural processed Bourbon varietals sourced from El Salvador. It offers a vibrant cherry tartness, balanced by a smooth almond and caramel finish.
Their filter coffees tend to shine with brightness and nuance. Expect stone fruit, florals, citrus acidity, and layered sweetness, depending on the origin. Their espresso offerings are equally refined, balanced, soluble, and designed to perform well in professional settings.