Pictured above: Coffee breakthrough, (l-r) Ian Edwards (Advantage West Midlands) Dorothy Coleman (Herefordshire Council) and Peter James (James Gourmet Coffee)

The 'cleanest' cup of coffee in Europe is being roasted in the heart of Ross-on-Wye thanks to a local company with a passion for providing the best tasting 'bean' in the world.

James Gourmet Coffee is celebrating its tenth birthday in style after investing in a groundbreaking eco-roaster that will cut emissions, reduce energy costs and provide a more even roast for better quality.

Backed by a £21,850 Rural Enterprise Grant which is part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) managed by Advantage West Midlands, the company has become one of the first organisations in the world to install the Loring Smart Roaster and celebrated the start of 'green' coffee making with a special opening ceremony recently.

Peter James, Managing Director, believes this latest advancement marks the first major change in coffee roasting for more than 100 years.

"Our whole business ethos has been based on providing our customers with a select range of gourmet coffees that offer the most unique flavours and the best possible taste.

"This has governed everything we have tried to do, from our first year in a small unit on my parents farm to where we are today, supplying over 40 tonnes of coffee every year. The next step was to combine this pursuit of excellence with embracing a new way of 'roasting' that would provide a host of environmental, quality and financial benefits."

He went on to add: "We had been in discussions with the European arm of Loring for some time and they introduced us to the Smart Roast Kestrel S35, which utilises a patented heat re-circulating process that is probably the biggest change in coffee roasting for a century.

"Better still, they were so impressed with our plans they asked us to become a working showroom to showcase how effective the new machine could be."

Investment in the new roaster represented a sizeable move by James Gourmet Coffee, with the global recession also taking its toll on the sector with sales fluctuating during the year.

The company, which employs six people at its Haigh Industrial Estate site, approached Herefordshire Council about a Rural Enterprise Grant (REG), which is designed to fund small scale diversification and business development projects for rural businesses.

Working with Project Manager Dorothy Coleman, Peter and his team successfully put forward their application and received significant assistance towards the installation.

"REG was a major boost for the business and allowed us to complete the project quicker than first envisaged," explained Peter, who is also a trained chef.

"With working capital so vital to SMEs like ourselves, the additional money has allowed us to progress plans for the Smart Roaster while still being able to channel the necessary funding into everyday operations.

"The advice we received from Dorothy was also second to none and I'd recommend other businesses like ours to make the most of Rural Enterprise Grants going forward."

Established in 1999, James Gourmet Coffee has gone from strength to strength over the last decade with sales now in excess of £450,000 per year.

Its commitment to developing contacts and researching the best tasting coffee from all over the world has seen it develop a diverse client base, ranging from fine food retailers and food service professionals to domestic customers who order via the internet.

Advantage West Midlands' Ian Edwards added his support: "We are fully committed to helping support rural business in their diversification and growth plans and REGs is one of the ways we can do this with grants of up to £62,500 available to support businesses such as James Gourmet Coffee."

He concluded: "We are delighted to be able to support Peter and his team in putting Herefordshire on the European map when it comes to the next generation of eco-friendly coffee."

The Rural Enterprise Grant (REG) is funded under the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) and is administered by Herefordshire Council.

The grants are intended to support activities in food and drink diversification, enterprise development, environmental technologies and tourism improvements.