Our Story

We have a lifetime connection with coffee.
You could say coffee was our destiny. It is definitely in our blood.

It all started on the Witham coffee farm in Zimbabwe’s Eastern highlands, where co-founder Lance’s apprenticeship in coffee began. His father later ran a coffee mill, and traded coffee and tea throughout Africa before the family moved to Australia where he established his own coffee trading company – Witham & Company. After a stint learning the ropes on a coffee plantation in Australia’s Atherton Tablelands Lance joined his father trading green coffee, supplying the emerging specialty roaster scene in Sydney. The exposure to the world of boutique roasting ignited a passion for Lance – he had found his niche.

Lance and Gillian

From humble beginnings

And so together with wife Gill, Witham’s Coffee – Specialty Roasters was born, with a small 5kg coffee roaster whirring away in the back corner of the shop, roasting beans from origins the world over. From these humble beginnings, it wasn’t too long before coffee connoisseurs began flocking to this tiny institution to savour the superb, single-origin coffees on offer. Word spread and it was soon necessary to expand operations.

Coffee testing

Twenty years of roasting experience

Two decades later and we have a reputation as one of Sydney’s finest specialty coffee roasters.

From our headquarters in Hornsby we now service hundreds of café clients, wholesale customers and fulfill online orders from coffee lovers across the country. Our Roastery also features an espresso bar and shop serving light lunches, coffee, coffee beans and coffee equipment. And if you are a serious coffee fan or aspiring barista there are coffee appreciation and barista training courses.

We like to think we have come a long way.

Meet the team

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