Welcome to Carrow Coffee Roasters
We are Paola and Andrew, coffee enthusiasts and founders of this small roasting business, located beside the Atlantic Ocean in County Sligo, Ireland
Welcome to Carrow Coffee Roasters
We are Paola and Andrew, coffee enthusiasts and founders of this small roasting business, located beside the Atlantic Ocean in County Sligo, Ireland
Who we are.
Carrow Coffee Roasters is a boutique roastery based on a family farm in the West of Ireland, perched on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and circled by ancient forests and Neolithic sites.
We constantly strive to source the best sustainably-grown beans from small-scale farmers, and then use our roasting expertise to bring out the best flavour in the cup. From bright washed coffees to funky naturals we are proud to roast distinctive and memorable coffees. We are committed to environmental sustainability and to paying farmers a fair price. Get ready to brew and journey with us!
Our Story...
Our passion for coffee grew in Colombia where we lived for four years travelling extensively throughout the countryside to visit farms and learn about coffee production and the different processing methods.
While there we developed contacts with coffee growers, exporters and industry experts and started roasting coffee on a Huky 500 in the attic of our apartment in Bogota. Andrew became a certified Q Grader, meaning great smelling and tasting skills! Handy when it comes to sourcing the most delicious coffees.
We do care. A lot.
Living in the West of Ireland means connecting with and respecting nature and those values are at the core of who we are as a business.
We are committed to reducing our environmental impact through the adoption of sustainable practices that will reduce our carbon footprint. For example, we use 100% compostable packaging for our retail bags and we supply our wholesale customers in the Sligo area using reusable buckets, which helps to cut down on packaging in the bin!
Our latest coffees
At Carrow we favour light to medium roasts that allow the bean’s intrinsic flavour to shine through. We offer a range of single origin coffees that vary from season to season and are roasted to maximise their natural flavours.
GUATEMALA
Variety: Bourbon, Maragogype, Pache | Process: Washed | Altitude: 2000 MASL | Harvest: February 2024| Producer: Samuel Escalante, Finca la Vega | Region: Cuilco, Huehuetenango
Rich and complex with notes of blackberry crumble, spices & dark chocolate.
As the days get colder, here in the roastery we frequently turn to the chocolatey, complex and warming coffees from Huehuetenango, northern Guatemala.
This microlot from Finca La Vega has that in spades, plus a dollop of mature fruit and a boozy acidity to round it all off. In short, an excellent winter warmer for the festive season. Hats off to Samuel for growing it!
COLOMBIA
Variety: Colombia | Process: Anaerobic Natural | Altitude: 2000 MASL | Harvest: May/June 2024 | Producer: Edwin Zambrano, Finca Bella Vista | Region: El Toro, Huila
Fruity and sweet with notes of star fruit, passion fruit & brown sugar.
This coffee is simply brimming with tropical fruit notes and a tangy, crisp acidity that cry out for a second cup. Balanced and sweet, it's a testament to the impressive processing skills of farmer Edwin Zambrano who fermented the beans in this lot for 120 hours under anaerobic conditions to drive this 'fruit-forward' flavour profile. Another example of the amazing innovation coming out of Colombia in recent years.
KENYA
Variety: SL-34, SL-28, Ruiru 11, Batian | Process: Washed | Altitude: 1700 MASL | Harvest: January 2024 |Producer: Members of the Karithathi Farmers' Coop Society | Region: Kirinyaga County
Juicy and clean, with notes of blackcurrant jam, citrus & black tea.
This coffee is packed full of dense fruit notes and a beautifully pronounced acidity, the hallmark of a good Kenyan. The beans were grown in the mineral-rich volcanic soils of Mount Kenya by small-scale farmers, before harvesting and transportation to the Kabingara station for washing and drying. We've given it a light roast for filter preparations.
ETHIOPIA
Variety: Heriloom | Process: Washed | Altitude: 2100-2300 MASL | Harvest: February 2024 | Producer: Small-scale farmers, Halo Beriti washing station | Region: Gedeb, Yirgacheffe
Floral and sweet, with notes of peach, jasmine & cooked pear.
We felt it was time to roast an Ethiopian for espresso lovers. And here it is - with all the beautiful florals and stone fruit associated with this origin, plus a fuller body than our lighter filter roasts. The beans in this particular lot were hand-sorted repeatedly throughout the receiving and drying process, ensuring that only the best made it in. Enjoy!
HONDURAS
Variety: Red Catuai| Process: Washed | Altitude: 1700 MASL | Harvest: February 2024 |Producer: Andrés Reyes Hernandez, Finca Reyes | Region: Pozo Negro, Intibucá
Juicy and sweet, with notes of apricot, red apple & caramel.
This coffee is sweet and dense, with fruity and floral notes underpinned by a beautiful malic acidity. It was grown by Andrés Reyes Hernandez on his four hectare farm in the Intibucá mountains, a new area for us. Andrés' grandfather was one of the first coffee farmers in the Pozo Negro region and today the farm remains a family affair, with his wife and children helping to carry out many of the essential tasks. We think their commitment to high standards is clearly evident in this clean and balanced coffee.
ETHIOPIA
Variety: Heirloom | Process: Washed | Altitude: 1950-2100 MASL | Harvest: February 2024 |Producer: Small-scale farmers, Worka-Wuri Chelchele washing station | Region: Gedeb woreda, Gedeo zone
Floral and delicatre, with notes of peach, jasmine & black tea.
Each year we look forward to the new Ethiopian harvest with great anticipation and this coffee has definitely lived up to our expectations. The beans in this lot are highly complex, with notes of clean fruit and a sticky sweetness giving way to a wave of white florals. It was grown by small-scale farmers in the hills surrounding the Worka-Wuri Chelchele washing station where the soil is fertile, well-drained, and ideal for coffee cultivation.
PERU - ORGANIC
Variety: Bourbon, Pache, Caturra | Process: Washed | Altitude: 1600-2100 MASL | Harvest: October 2023 | Producer: A collective of farmers near Rumpite village | Region: La Coipa, northern Peru
Sweet and balanced, with notes of dried mango, berries & chocolate.
This certified organic coffee from northern Peru is complex and balanced. Soft notes of fruit and chocolate give way to a long and sweet finish. Its silky smoothness makes it tempting to have a second cup right away! The beans in this lot come from family-owned farms in the hills above Rumpite village, a unique microclimate where warm air from lower plains meets cold air descending from the mountains. A perfect confluence of currents for coffee tree growth and flavour development. Enjoy!
COLOMBIA/COMPETITION
Variety: Pink Bourbon | Process: Anaerobic Natural | Altitude: 1744 MASL | Harvest: May 2023 | Producer: Sebastián Ramírez, Finca El Placer | Region: Calarcá, Quindío
Exotic and sweet with notes of cinnamon roll, baked apple and bergamot.
This competition-grade coffee has plenty of 'wow' factor! Complex and choc full of sweetness, flavours of spice and cooked fruits mingle and give way to an exceptionally long aftertaste. All of this is testament to the hard work and innovative processing techniques used by 4th generation coffee farmer Sebastián Ramírez. To create this exceptional micro-lot, ripe coffee cherries were picked at his El Placer farm and placed in sealed tanks for 200 hour with CO2 gas injected, before drying at controlled temperatures. The results speak for themselves.
BRAZIL | DIRECT TRADE
Variety: Bourbon, Catuai | Process: Natural | Altitude: 1200 - 1350 MASL | Harvest: Current crop | Producer: João Hamilton, Serra do Cigano Valley, Caconde, São Paulo
Rich and smooth, with notes of roasted hazelnuts, almonds and caramel.
You can expect full-bodied deliciousness from our balanced and sweet go-to espresso, making it a popular favourite. Perfect as it is or with milk.
This is the fourth year we return to the Serra do Cigano because we love its flavour and we strongly support Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza’s ethos and farming practices.
Joao Hamilton and his partners grow top-quality coffee on their 10-hectare Serra do Cigano farm, while at the same time respecting nature. This includes farming without the use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides and reforesting areas around springs. The team have also made greater efforts to harvest only the ripest cherries and improve their drying techniques using raised beds, resulting in a better cup quality.
COLOMBIA
Variety: Castillo, Caturra, Colombia | Process: Washed, non-chemically decaffeinated | Altitude: 1200 - 2000 MASL | Harvest: current crop | Producer: Smallholder farmers, La Plata, Huila
La Plata is sweet and full-bodied, with notes of milk chocolate and malt. Suitable for espresso and filter.
It is decaffeinated at origin using a non-chemical process. First the green coffee is soaked in baths of water with a natural solvent derived from sugar cane to remove the caffeine. Then the beans are steamed at low pressure to remove all traces of the solvent while preserving flavour.
Wholesale
We love to work with like-minded people who are passionate about specialty coffee. Our beans come from small-scale producers in Africa and Latin America, many of whom we know personally after living there for several years.
As well as this direct link, we hunt out coffees that have been grown without artificial fertilizers and pesticides whenever possible. We roast to order to ensure it's fresh. Please get in contact for more details. We'd love to hear from you!
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