Our Story

In 1985, journalist Ian Henshall began roasting coffee on the street corner of Portobello Road, London, to support his magazine Outlook, which launched in 1987. The coffee business quickly grew, surpassing the magazine's success. After stepping away from Outlook, Ian played a key role in forming INK, an umbrella organisation for the UK’s alternative press. At its peak, INK’s subscription leaflet had a print run of 300,000. In 1997, the business moved to a shop near the original location, where the wholesale side expanded after discovering a perfect source of organic, Fairtrade coffee ideal for espresso. Today, we proudly offer one of the UK’s largest selections of dual-certified coffee.

Located in the heart of Portobello Road market, our coffee shop is open seven days a week. Our roasting facility in Wembley ensures fresh coffee is delivered twice weekly. In addition to our thriving retail business, we serve wholesale customers across the UK and Europe, offering both online and phone ordering. Wholesale customers can also access pre-set prices based on their turnover through our website.