As another turbulent year draws to a close, our roastery is taking a well-earned break (reopening January 5th). What better time to look forward, with spring just around the corner (we can dream) and a new year full of promise and possibilities.
So what can we look forward to in 2022? Here is what we’ll be focusing on in our little corner of the Scottish Highlands.
Let’s begin with the most important: coffee. We’re very excited about the latest batch of freshly picked coffees from Peru and Bolivia that will be arriving into our roastery in early January, and looking a bit further forward we’ve just booked two Colombian coffees that we’re all highly anticipating. And that’s just the beginning—keep an eye on our website and social media to be the first to know when new coffees are released.
We’ll be attending more events next year, whether that’s as part of the Scottish specialty coffee industry or the wider food and hospitality industry. Coming up in March we’ll be at Scotland’s Speciality Food Show to showcase and promote our coffee—and connect with our friends and partners across the food industry.
A big part of our community focus is our Coffee Academy, which mentors local school leavers and encourages them into the coffee industry with a programme of barista skills qualifications and job placements. Last year’s crop of passionate participants were an inspiration to continue and expand the Academy, and we’re looking forward to carrying the programme on with a new class of recruits this spring.
We’re excited about the possibility of broadening our educational offerings with more focus on accredited courses from the Specialty Coffee Association, with the aim of establishing a campus to support those in the Highlands who wish to enhance their coffee education and improve their job prospects in this industry.
Next year we also hope to once again offer talks and seminars featuring our producer partners, where our community—both local and farther afield—can learn from these experts about the journey their coffee goes on to reach our roastery and eventually their cup.
We made great strides in our sustainability goals last year—putting solar panels up ahead of schedule, as one example—and moving forward we plan on keeping that momentum up. More solar panels are part of the equation, and we’ll continue researching and implementing more ways to lower the impact of our packaging.
Importantly, we hope to finally be awarded B Corp status, enshrining our environmental ethos into the very structure of Glen Lyon’s DNA. Our founding principles were built around sustainability, and it’s concrete steps like these that keep us grounded, motivated, and focusing on the future.
It’s been a long year, with many challenges for all of us. We couldn’t have made it through without the help and encouragement of our customers, wholesale partners, and friends. From everyone at Glen Lyon, thank you for all your support, and we’ll see you in the new year. Happy Hogmanay!
