Dark Woods Coffee was born on the weather beaten moors on the outskirts of Huddersfield. This simple northern town, has beautiful landscape, friendly locals and an unusual number of coffee companies!
That is how we all met; Damian worked for a large well-respected company, in charge of roasting coffee for some of the most prestigious accounts in the country. In the same village, Paul ran Coffee Community, providing barista training and consultancy to some of the biggest coffee brands worldwide, and Ian based in the next village, was fighting the corner for the coffee farmers, running a number of charities and ethical companies.
Through years of being involved in the coffee industry, judging world competitions, and working with some of the best baristas, we had all tasted and worked with some of the finest coffees around, but precious little was available in the North of England. And so it was time to do our own thing, to have the freedom to experiment with the finest beans, in a beautifully renovated mill nestling in the moorland landscape we love.
We want to be “inclusive” rather than “exclusive”. Roasting coffee that would be loved by the coffee specialist, but also appreciated by the general public, advising and supporting them through some of coffee’s more ‘challenging’ flavours and brewing techniques. This approach goes back down the supply chain as well, working in partnership with those who grow and supply the coffee we rely on.
Damian Blackburn has been working in the specialty coffee industry for around 15 years, as a roaster, cupper and coffee buyer.
He has travelled extensively to origin, beginning with a Brazil Specialty Coffee Association trip back in 2003 at the age of 23 and his first Cup of Excellence competition in Nicaragua in 2004. Since then, he’s been lucky to experience coffee production in Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Burundi and India amongst others.
So far he has judged in 6 Cup of Excellence and 2 Best of Panama coffee competitions, and is a regular Great Taste Awards judge in the UK for speciality food and drink categories. His key influences in coffee were the pioneering micro-roasters from the early 21st Century, particularly those in the US, Scandinavia and Japan, and their holistic approach to coffee quality, respectful sourcing and customer service.
He was first let loose on an electric Probat sample roaster back in 2002, and has since mainly roasted on Probats and a Loring Smart Roast before now roasting on Dark Woods’ vintage Probat UG-22.
Ian Balmforth and his family-owned Bolling Coffee gave Damian his first opportunities in coffee; working in their Yorkshire based Roastery, running the quality and retail departments and also sourcing their specialty and certified coffees.