“The coffee industry is going to have to change.”

At Bellwether, we set out to build a new kind of commercial coffee roaster — one that’s electric, ventless, automated, and capable of producing exceptional coffee without the complexity and infrastructure of traditional roasters.

To put that vision to the test, we partnered with one of Europe’s most respected roasteries: Square Mile Coffee Roasters in London. They selected a coffee they knew intimately — Heza Hills, a vibrant, floral lot from Burundi — and set out to see how it would perform on the Bellwether Shop Roaster.

What followed was a meticulous roast profiling process, multiple cuppings, and a blind tasting that would reveal just how far electric roasting has come.

“Recently, with the team, we put a split table where we put Bellwether roaster as well as the roast from our Probat machines for the team to taste. I think it was about 25 of our team in the room, and everyone was tasting. And no one could pick the Probat roasts from the Bellwether roasts. Everyone had their favourite on the table. Most of them were the Bellwether roasts.”

— Tom Flawith, Head of Operations, Square Mile Coffee Roasters

For a team known for quality, precision, and consistency, this outcome speaks volumes.

This collaboration wasn’t just about validating what Bellwether can do — it was about redefining what’s possible. Quality and control no longer require gas lines, emissions systems, or hands-on roasting every hour of the day. The Bellwether Shop Roaster automates what should be automated — and leaves the artistry exactly where it belongs: in the cup.