The Matthew Algie senior management team at the newly green bean facility | Photo credit: Matthew Algie

Glasgow-based coffee roaster Matthew Algie is seeking to increase production capacity and lower its carbon emissions following new ‘multi-million-pound’ investment. 
  

Alongside increasing roasting capacity to over 2,500 tonnes of coffee each year, Matthew Algie will introduce a new green bean handling and blending system, upgrade automation, and implement new conveying systems and state of the art packaging lines at its Glasgow headquarters. 

Matthew Algie, which supplies coffee and tea products to thousands of cafés across the UK and Ireland, will also use the investment to advance its new sustainability strategy, which includes achieving net zero by 2035 among its goals.  

The coffee roaster said operational efficiencies will be met through a new green storage area which is set to prompt a 90% manual handling reduction and increased coffee container capacity. Shipping coffee in bulk containers to the UK will increase capacity by 11%, while subsequent delivery to the Glasgow site will see a 25% capacity increase. 

Founded more than 150 years ago, Matthew Algie has a long history of championing sustainability initiatives. In 1997, the coffee roaster introduced the UK’s first Fairtrade espresso, and in 2004 became the first roaster to offer triple certified espresso coffee – approved by the Fairtrade Foundation, Rainforest Alliance and Organic Food Federation. 

“This recent round of investment builds additional capacity and will future proof the business to offer even more products to its customers. Equally important, however, is how these improvements will help supercharge our efforts to reach net zero, as by 2035 our operations in the UK and Ireland will be carbon neutral or better, with our entire value supply chain net zero by 2040. This is a hugely exciting time for our business and particularly our Glasgow roastery as we look to continue on our growth trajectory whilst being the leading supplier of sustainable, high-quality beverages in the UK and Ireland,” said Paul Chadderton, Managing Director, Matthew Algie. 

Production will continue on-site during the upgrades to the roastery, with works due to be completed in Autumn 2023.