Who is Scotlands ROAST HERO 2025?

The Roast Hero competition is a peer-assessed challenge that takes real-world roasting experiences and puts the knowledge and skill of Scottish roasteries to the test. There is a wide range of elements that shape a great coffee roaster, and the Roast Hero competition is designed to be an accessible format with a focus on roasting and sourcing skills resulting in the most delicious coffee!

The inaugural Roast Hero Competition took place at GCF in 2024 and was a massive success! It saw Cult Coffee Roasters take home the top spot, Dear Green Coffee Roasters coming second and Machina Coffee finishing third!

Not all heroes wear capes and we know that some of the best industry experts are hiding in roasteries across the country! For GCF25, we will have 10 independently owned Scottish micro roasters competing for the title of ROAST HERO 2025!

We’ve given each roastery the same coffee to roast, plus we’ve invited them to submit a coffee from their range! Our Roast Heros will judge the coffee in a blind tasting… and so will you! We’ll be announcing the winner on the Glasgow Coffee Festival stage on Sunday 27th April!

Roasting is not a perfect science, and there will be difficult conditions, short deadlines, and sometimes you have to do the best you can with what you have. Our Roast Hero 2025 will be a coffee roaster that can utilise and execute their skills and knowledge to be able to bring one unknown green coffee to life, source and roast another, and provide the best-tasting cup possible.

Keep an eye out for an announcement on the competitors for this year’s competition!

Taste all 10 coffees at Glasgow Coffee Festival and place your vote for our 2025 ROAST HERO!

A special mention to the Best Roaster competition at the Nordic Coffee Festival which inspired Roast Hero. Thanks also to our sponsors Falcon Coffees for supplying green coffee and to Brew It Group and Espresso Warehouse for providing grinders and brewers at Glasgow Coffee Festival. Actual heroes!