Scott’s mum made the seat covers for the couple of seats which are in the shop to be used next time customers can come in the door. This is a nod to the homely atmosphere in the newest coffee shop in town. With its pared down look, the emphasis is truly on the beans which are roasted there each day.
But although the founders of the business have chosen a city centre location, they are not wholly dependent on customers coming to the front door for a daily caffeine fix.
Cobbled Roastery also has a coffee delivery service so that you can make your own fresh coffee while working from home. When you join the Cobbled Club you will receive a freshly roasted 100% Arabica 250g bag delivered straight to your door once a week for 4 weeks. You can choose between Roasted Beans, Ground Espresso, or Ground Cafetière for a monthly subscription. Â
Both Vladimir Zadyraka and Scott Williams who are the founders of the Cobbled Roastery are from Edinburgh, have years of experience in the hospitality industry, and had wanted to open a coffee emporium for some time, so even a pandemic was not going to get in their way.
Now that the lockdown restrictions are in full force, they are glad that they are not wholly dependent on daily footfall, although they would be very glad to see you of course.
The Cobbled Roastery roast their own coffee on the premises and now have a growing subscription list which endorses their own faith in the business model.
Just to keep things interesting, Scott has just moved to the north of the city with his wife and month old baby daughter. So his home life is pretty busy, apart from the challenges of opening a new business.
It is a brave thing to do, but has been a dream for both of them for a while. Scott explained: “We saw a small gap in the market. There are some big coffee hitters, but on the micro Roastery side of things where you get freshly roasted coffee daily within the shop into your cup and takeaway bags for residential and for the hospitality industry – most do only one side or the other. We do both. So the two of us doing this together we are filling a gap in the market. Vlaidimir is front of house and I do the Geppetto thing behind the scenes, so it works well. We have the whole cabaret going on here.”
Vladimir Zadyraka was born in the Ukraine and came to live in Edinburgh at six years old with his parents who are both in business (and have roped him in to work for them from time to time). He studied Economics and Management at university, and has some very good cheerful chat, making him perfect for front of house. Scott has always worked in the food and hospitality industry – as well as most others in his family who have a foothold in restaurants.
Vladimir Zadyraka from the Cobbled Roastery. Photo: © 2021, Martin P. McAdam www.martinmcadam.com Scott Williams from the Cobbled Roastery. Photo: © 2021, Martin P. McAdam www.martinmcadam.com n
They have chosen to source the coffee beans they use from a coffee broker down south to roast on the premises every day.
Scott explained: “You tell them what you want – if you want something unusual or more mainstream – so we want something in the middle – vanilla textures with a nice smooth finish and a lovely crema on top. Something that will suit everyone. The whole street now smells of coffee when we get going.
“The High Street roasters will over-roast their beans to give them a longer shelf life. Our USP is not to have them sitting on the shelves. We want them in your cup, in your cafetière and in your mocha pots in the house just as quickly as possible.
“It’s a medium roast that we have – 100% Arabica with traceability all the way back to a farm in Colombia.”
Scott ran us through the coffee roasting process which takes place in a small but important machine in the corner of the shop. It takes just 20 minutes from pouring in the green coffee beans to enjoying a cup of the freshest coffee.
Vladimir is in charge of the coffee-making side of the business, where the coffee machine is his baby. He sourced the machine in Edinburgh, and it fits the lean aesthetics of the shop and most crucially makes a good cup of coffee. It is all about the quality of the coffee bean as far as he is concerned.
The shop opened on 19 December – St Nicholas Day in Ukraine. Sadly, it was also the day when the government started to introduce tighter restrictions from Boxing Day. The First Minister addressed the nation at 5pm that Saturday advising that the arrangements for Christmas would have to change as a new variant of the virus had been discovered. However the two owners remain optimistic about their business and its future from its city centre location.
The shop is already attracting some loyal Edinburgh customers, while concentrating on building up the subscription side of the business. You order online and the beans will be delivered to you by post or by using another family connection – the company Mailbox Etc. They are collaborating with the Rose Street business to deliver all over the world, most recently to a PO Box in Dubai.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
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