Wholesale coffee for restaurants, because the last course is the one they remember

An espresso lands on the table after something sweet, and that changes what it has to do. Sharp acidity turns sour next to a crème brûlée. A roast pushed too dark reads as burnt after a delicate dessert. What works is a chocolate forward profile with enough sweetness of its own to sit alongside the plate rather than argue with it.

It is also the last thing the guest tastes before asking for the bill. Two hours of good service can be undone by one bitter cup, and nobody tells you about it, they simply do not book again.

A restaurant pulls a fraction of what a café does, which sounds easier and is not. The machine sits idle for an hour, then four tables order at once. A cold group head and a cooled grinder give you a first shot that tastes nothing like the fourth.

A blend with a wide window of good extraction covers that gap, and so does purging a shot before service. We tell you which of ours behaves best on a machine that runs in bursts rather than continuously.

In most restaurants the coffee is made by whoever is closest to the machine, and that person changes with every shift. A bean that needs a trained hand to taste good will taste different depending on who is working.

Ours are chosen to be forgiving. Grind a little coarse or a little fine and the cup shifts, but it does not fall apart. That matters more in a dining room than any single tasting note.

A named coffee on the menu is worth more than a line saying espresso. If a guest asks where it comes from and the waiter has an answer, the last item on the bill stops being an afterthought.

We give you the origin, the roast profile and tasting notes for whatever you pour, written so a member of floor staff can repeat them without a script.

Buyer's guide

What coffee should a restaurant serve?

A restaurant espresso is judged against dessert, not on its own. Chocolate and caramel notes sit comfortably next to sweet plates, while high acidity reads as sour and a very dark roast reads as burnt. Medium to medium dark is the safe ground, and it also works in the cappuccino someone will order instead.

The second factor is the machine's rhythm. Restaurant service comes in bursts, so the equipment cools between orders and whoever is nearest makes the coffee. A bean with a wide window of good extraction protects you from both.

Whole bean, ground to order, in 1 kg bags with a one way degassing valve and the roast date on the label.

Roast level

Medium to medium dark. Chocolate forward, no sharp acidity next to dessert.

Before service

Purge a shot after the machine has been idle. The first cup is never the true one.

On the menu

Name the coffee and its origin. Guests order more of what they can ask about.