Lochside Roasters
Member Spotlight
As the saying goes, when one door shuts, another one opens – and Isla Tulloch, of Lochside Roasters in Orkney, is a living embodiment of the phrase.
“I never intended to set up a roastery,” admits the entrepreneur. “I left school and went to university but I didn’t really enjoy my course so I decided to come home and get a job. But because I didn’t have a degree, that was hard.”
Isla decided to start her own business, with options like dog grooming also on the table. Ultimately, coffee roasting won out.
“I thought it might be too expensive to start up as a roaster, but I decided to book myself on some courses anyway,” she explained. “I really enjoyed it, and the roastery was born.”
However, it took time to get up and running. A shed in her mum’s garden was renovated, and the purchase of a six-kilo roaster had to be financed before Lochside could launch. Now, the small-batch roastery provides artisanal coffee to the islands and beyond.
“At the moment, we don’t have a shop,” explained Isla. “My biggest outlets are local shops here on Orkney, as well as consumer purchases from my website. I’m looking to expand more into the mainland as well as to Shetland soon.”
Lochside’s trademark roast is a light one that aims to enhance the coffee’s natural flavour, although Isla also works closely with her customers to produce personalised roasts in their own branding. “We get people to the roastery and I do tastings, which I can then blend and mix at different ratios to get the right flavour for the customer,” she said. “They’re then roasted separately and mixed post-roasting. It’s bespoke, but of course consistency is then important to deliver the same cup time after time.”
So, what’s the secret to a really good cup of coffee? “There are two factors; either the roast or the way it’s been brewed,” according to Isla. “When I’m roasting the coffee, I’m checking the temperature every 30 seconds with a set profile that I want to follow. That might get amended, depending on how the coffee is roasting or if there’s a new crop which can change the taste slightly. I also check the colour of the roast with a special machine that shines a light onto the coffee and gives me a number reference. It’s very precise. Of course, when it’s time for the customer to brew the coffee, the rest is up to them!”
There are challenges to running any small business and Isla has faced many of them, from getting planning permission to convert her shed, doing it up herself, and funding the purchase of her all-important roaster. She also faces the continual balancing act between supply and demand: ordering enough stock she knows will sell while taking a chance on different beans that will allow customers to try new things. And there’s also the familiar challenges all island businesses face.
Isla continued: “In winter, it can take three weeks from ordering to receiving the beans. Especially around Christmas the coffee goes out of the door quickly, so you’ve got to balance being able to pay for the beans before they arrive with the risk of running out of coffee for the Christmas rush. That’s a big thing.”
As a sole operator, she also enjoys sharing ideas and problem solving with other business owners, which is where her Scotland Food & Drink membership provides many benefits.
“Obviously my Scotland Food & Drink membership has helped me connect with customers and potential customers,” said Isla. “But it’s also about connecting with people that I can talk about coffee with and who want to help me bounce ideas back and forward. Orkney’s a small community, you can’t always get those conversations going, so talking to other people through Scotland Food & Drink really helps.”
Looking ahead to the future, Isla has dreams of expanding: “I would love to be able to just have a pallet shipped right into the door. At the moment, I’ve just got an ordinary door, so I carry the sacks in individually. More importantly though, bigger premises would also allow more consistency and connection with customers.
“With a bigger space, I would like to hold public cupping sessions at the roastery, which would allow customers to get a glimpse of all that goes into the roasting and the important quality control.
“If you make a coffee and a customer enjoys it, they’ll tell you. That’s the most rewarding thing. Because coffee is important. People drink it every day. I always think about how much coffee I’ve sold then convert it to the number of cups that makes – and quite a lot of people are drinking my coffee. And it’s only the beginning for me and for quality coffee on Orkney.”
