Our Story

Landscape with fields, trees, and a blue sky

Descended from a family of Norfolk and Suffolk Flour Millers. Giles's Great Grandfather, Robert Read, started milling in Beccles in the late 1800’s. "I’m always conscious of how similar, at a fundamental level, the coffee roasting and flour milling processes actually are… there must be something in our blood!”

Beginnings

With South Westerly views across Honeycombe Wood, just to the South of Sherborne, we’ve been roasting speciality beans here in North Dorset for over sixteen years

Our coffee story started back in 1993 when Giles took what proved to be a permanent break from corporate life to explore new ventures on the West Coast of the USA and Canada. The Seattle coffee boom was at full steam but yet to reach even the East Coast.

After travelling the US in search of the perfect brew, Giles returned to London on a quest to rid the coffee drinking world of dishwater served in polystyrene cups once and for all. With a Solo paper cup and drink through lid in hand, to many just a baby-cup, allies were found in the founders of, then fledgling, Pret A Manger. The potential for speciality coffee was obvious, the next step being to join them as their first ‘coffee man’.

The move to Roasting came in 1999 after several years of working as buyer of beans and machines, Barista trainer and quality control auditor, with the purchase of Reads first roaster, a Turkish American 15kg Ambex, still in occasional, smoky, use.

The Coffee

Reads begins roasting

With no electronic aids and with the concept of roast profiling still in its infancy, we started out by sourcing the best single origin beans we could find, roasting small batches, little and often.

We started out supplying local friends and family, then grew to serve both commercial customers and home coffee enthusiasts. Reads now works with businesses and private customers across the UK. To this day, our growth has relied on word of mouth and customer recommendations, driven by what we hope are fine beans, much enjoyed!

Person operating a coffee roasting machine in a workshop setting

Our Ethos

At Reads we source responsibly

We ensure our beans are traceable and subscribe to genuine organisations such as the Rainforest Alliance who are working to benefit the farms and environment we rely on.

We specialise in the traditional roasting of single-estate Arabica coffees and the creation of distinctive espresso blends. With over 14 coffees to choose from, there’s something for every taste: light Africans, smooth Centrals, dark-roasted Italian-style espresso blends, and some of the best naturally decaffeinated beans you will ever taste..

Tea

The day at Limekiln Farm starts with Tea, and ends with Tea

A cup of Tea marks our sunrises and sunsets whilst coffee punctuates the working day between. Whether it’s an early-morning slug of the Tea House Special Blend or an English Breakfast, a Lemongrass or Moroccan Mint after lunch followed by a hearty Rooibos at teatime, Tea is an intrinsic part of our daily life - and one that we have a great love for.

Perhaps it’s as simple as saying that whilst Coffee winds us up, Tea winds us down, so it makes only good sense to balance our offer to you with a straightforward, carefully selected range of loose teas that we know, trust, and drink ourselves.

Visit The Tea House