The London Coffee Festival Podcast

Recorded live on Thursday 26 February 2026, this was the very first event in our new LCF In Conversation series an evening built around honesty, lived experience, and a shared commitment to shaping a more equitable future for specialty coffee. This episode explores what true inclusion looks like in specialty coffee. In partnership with SEND Coffee, we brought together leading voices to discuss acc...

In this final Founder Stays On episode before the London Coffee Festival 2026, Katherine Swift, Founder of OMGTea, talks with Max Dubiel, Founder of Redemption Roasters - the world’s first prison‑based specialty coffee company. Max shares how Redemption grew from roasting behind prison walls to becoming a leading social‑impact brand reducing reoffending through barista training and meaningful empl...

In this episode, Katherine Swift, founder of OMGTea, and Brendan Olley, co‑founder of Shed, discuss the purpose‑driven origins of their businesses and the realities of building authentic brands in the wellness and specialty coffee worlds. Katherine shares how OMGTea was born from her mother’s cancer diagnosis and her discovery of matcha’s powerful health benefits, while Brendan reflects on the gro...

In this episode, Santiago Gamboa, Co-Founder of Hermanos Coffee Roasters and Christopher Fields, Co-Founder of Shed sit down for an honest conversation about what it really takes to build and sustain an independent coffee business in London. Recorded inside a Hermanos Muro in Aldgate East, they reflect on the nerves of opening a first shop, the shock of opening a second, the realities of roasting...

Santiago Gamboa, Co‑Founder of Hermanos Coffee Roasters, & Kirby Sinclair of The Roasting PartyFrom roasting in living rooms to building award‑winning specialty coffee brands, Santiago and Kirby share raw, honest stories about community, resilience, and shaping the future of coffee. Recorded at BloomsYard, Level 2, 100 Liverpool St, London EC2M 2AT. 🎧 Listen now and subscribe for more stories fro...

Next Episode: Bharti Radix x Kirby Sinclair Ever dreamt of opening a coffee shop? Bharti Radix (BloomsYard) and Kirby Sinclair (The Roasting Party) reveal what it really takes - from building a brand and leading a team to surviving the toughest times in hospitality. Recorded at BloomsYard, Level 2, 100 Liverpool St, London EC2M 2AT, this candid conversation is packed with insights for coffee lover...

The new Founder Stays On Podcast from the London Coffee Festival kicks off with Bharti Radix, founder of BloomsYard and Jayne Cromwell co-founder of Carnival Coffee Roasters. Two founders, one honest conversation, no script — covering bootstrapping, scaling, staffing challenges, and surviving COVID. Real talk about resilience, community, and building independent coffee businesses in London. Record...

In this special episode of the Let it Brew podcast recorded at London Coffee Festival 2025 Alex Dantes-Smith sits down with Paul Kelly to explore La Marzocco’s rich history of groundbreaking collaborations across fashion, design, and specialty coffee. From high-profile projects with Porsche, and Rimowa they dive into what collaboration really means for the iconic espresso machine maker. Together,...

Host Alex Dantes-Smith sits down with Rob Ward (Slayer) and Freda Yuan (Origin Coffee) to dream up their ultimate coffee shop concepts and let’s just say, we’d visit both. Think: 🇫🇷 Coffee & crêpes in the South of France 🎸 A smoky lounge with Eric Clapton Unplugged on repeat 🚲 Bikes, brews, and bold ideas Big thanks to @OzoneCoffee for hosting! #Londoncoffeefestival #LetItBrew #CoffeeCulture #Sp...

In this episode of the Let It Brew podcast, host Alex Dantes-Smith welcomes Ashley Palmer-Watts—former Executive Chef at The Fat Duck and Dinner by Heston, and Co-Founder of Artisan Coffee Co. and The Devonshire, Soho @devonshiresoho—along with Bryan Serwatka, Coffee Community Manager at @minorfigures. They explore their ultimate dream coffee shop concepts, each bringing a unique vision to the tab...

In this episode of Let It Brew, host Alex Dantes-Smith sits down with Ollie Simon, GM of Brand and Marketing at Allpress Espresso UK, and Bugra Marasali, Founder of Lodestar Coffee—to explore their ultimate dream coffee shop concepts. From flat whites to macchiatos, Ollie shares his espresso journey, while Bugra keeps it unapologetically pure: "You don’t go to a kebab shop and order a pizza"—so wh...

Why settle for the ordinary when you can sip your latte surrounded by cuddly chaos? In this episode of Let It Brew, Alex Dantes-Smith chats with Kurt Stewart, Master Roaster and Founder of Volcano Coffee Works, and Roosa Jalonen, Coffee Specialist, Arabica Q Grader, and the newly crowned UK Barista Champion 2024. Together, they dive into their ultimate dream coffee shop concepts. Roosa’s vision? A...

Alex Dantes-Smith sits down with Bharti Radix, Founder of Bloomsyard and Camilla Morgan, Head of Business Development and Customer Relationships at Eversys UK Ltd to discuss their dream coffee shops. Coffee at the top ⬆ zipline to the bottom ⬇ - because who needs a drive-thru when you’ve got adventure? Episode 7 of the 'Let It Brew' Podcast is OUT NOW! Special thanks to Bloomsyard for hosting us f...

Alex Dantes-Smith sits down with Will Corby from Pact Coffee and Josh Tarlo from Headstand to discuss their dream coffee shops. Leave your worries at the door, grab a hammock, and step through a magic portal to your coffee haven zen —just don’t ask for an Americano or Builder’s Tea! You won't want to miss this one. Enjoy! Special thanks to Ozone for hosting us for this recording.

Alex Dantes-Smith chats with Alexandra Dalton of Rascal Coffee and Emily Roach from Ozone Coffee about their dream coffee shops. Alex’s New Orleans coffee shop, Apapachar (translated as hugs in Spanish), blends dive bar vibes in New Orleans and a no-laptops policy—unless you don’t mind being tucked away in a dark corner! Meanwhile, Emily’s vision features a Scandinavian-inspired haven with a pet d...

Alex Dantes-Smith sits down with Paul Ross from Special Guests Coffee and Maxwell Dashwood from Colonna Coffee to discuss their dream coffee shops. A gym/coffee shop? In the New Forest? With a ring of ponies? And an owner that asks you to leave if you don't order a clean coffee? Yeah, buddy! You won't want to miss this one. Enjoy! Special thanks to Ozone for hosting us for this recording.

In this episode of The Let it Brew Podcast, our host Alex Dantes-Smith sits down with two coffee industry experts - The Hagen Project's Head of Coffee, Steve Nulty and Brad Morrison, owner of Dark Arts to explore the ultimate question: What would your dream coffee shop look like? We dive deep into the creativity of both of their dream coffee shops. From the quirky names (think coffee pub, anyone?)...

In this episode, Alex Dantes-Smith chats with Paul Kelly from La Marzocco about Building his Dream Coffee shop. They cover everything from the perfect location and unique food items to coffee equipment and Paul’s favourite music. Special thanks to Daze Coffee Shop - pop-up lovechild of @batchbabycoffee and @paradox_design_coffee. Find them at 207, 1 Westgate St, London, United Kingdom E83RL.

In the inaugural episode, host Alex Dantes-Smith, Head of European Retail at Fellow, delves into the theme of "Building the Dream Coffee Shop." Joining Alex in this engaging and insightful conversation are: Andrea Ventrice, National Account Manager at Califia Farm; Caroline Schray, Senior Regional Manager at Fellow; Dan Fellows, UK Brand Ambassador at Slayer Espresso. From choosing the right equip...