The founders of a popular Sunderland coffee shop have established a new speciality coffee bean roastery in the city.

FC Roast was founded by Peter Riddell, Louise Curtis-Robertson and John Curtis-Robertson, who began roasting beans to be used in their four Fausto shops across the city. 

After positive feedback from customers, the business has now set up its own site in Southwick, where it roasts ethically sourced coffee beans from Brazil, Ethiopia, Colombia, Peru and Yemen.

Riddell said: “Over the years, we have become more and more interested in coffee, looking at the different origins and types of beans available. 

“It’s incredibly important to us to ethically source our coffee beans to ensure farmers get a fair deal, and we work with an importer that provides us with updates from the farmers we work with.”

FC Roast worked with the business investment team at Sunderland City Council to secure the right premises.

Riddell added: “We knew we wanted to keep the business in Sunderland. The regeneration taking place in the city is amazing, and I think it’s a great place to be for growing businesses.

“The team at the council have been incredibly helpful and they knew exactly the type of space we needed after looking at our business plan. And now that we’re in the roastery, we’re looking to create two full time jobs over the next year and grow the business to be able to supply more local venues and sell wholesale in the city and beyond.

“We’re also in the process of setting up an ecommerce website, so we can build our online presence and get to a point where people across the country and even the world are drinking FC Roast.”

Patrick Melia, chief executive of Sunderland City Council, added: “We are delighted to have supported FC Roast’s expansion as it grows to reach a wider audience of coffee drinkers both across the region and beyond.

“Peter, Louise and John are all local entrepreneurs, and with the success of their Fausto brand, I’m sure this new business venture will be another brilliant success story for Sunderland.”