Coffee Roaster Introduction - Kiss the Hippo
Best Coffee's roastery guide is a compilation of the very best, tried & tested coffee roasters from around the world. We’ve hand-selected a small collection of amazing coffees for you to sample. Not all coffees are created equal, and not all coffees make it into our shop. So we’re starting a series of articles shining a light on our chosen roasteries to explain why we picked them for your drinking delight.
Kiss the Hippo
Where: Richmond, London
Who: A bunch of Hippo-admiring, coffee lovers.
Since when: 2018
Why: We love Kiss the Hippo for their universally-delicious coffees, their unmistakable aesthetic charm & their gritty determination to use coffee as a means to do good for communities and natural habitats around the world.
What’s the story: Kiss the Hippo are on a mission to deliver the most rewarding coffee experience to their customers. Creating coffee magic in Richmond on a Loring S-15 roaster, they source and showcase the most desirable coffees from around the world, paying particular attention to their unique characteristics.
Sustainability credentials:
Kiss the Hippo’s long-standing focus on ethical sourcing and building relationships with farmers means 100% traceability from farm to cup. Add to this their commitment to pay 50% over Fairtrade price, and their support of reforestation projects at origin mean they’re doing their bit for sustainably grown coffee.
Closer to home KTH support a number of initiatives making a difference, not just in coffee circles but causes close to their hearts. Kew’s coffee research, World Coffee Research and the National Literacy Trust have all benefited from Kiss the Hippo donations.
Dedicated to running a low-impact business; KTH have invested in the most eco-friendly roaster on the market to support their policy of carbon-neutral roasting. They also run zero-waste cafés; used coffee grounds are turned into biofuel & coffee sacks are sent to London Zoo to be used as toys or bedding for the primates. All packaging used is either compostable or recyclable too.
Our favourite coffee:
George Street Espresso coffee pods - Kiss the Hippo’s signature George Town blend, in a pod is the closest thing you’ll get to the espresso they serve in their cafés, whilst at home. Completely compostable and plastic-free these pods are eco-friendly too.