A SPECIALITY coffee business owner who began roasting coffee beans over a portable stove in his shed is set to warm up a top UK food festival with a limited-edition luxury blend.

Barista Tim Parry, 40, now produces in one afternoon what he previously made in one week, having established Mug Run Coffee in 2013 and moved to an industrial unit in Rhyl.

He previously worked in the hospitality industry, mainly in pubs and bars in the seaside town, however coffee was always his passion and he set out roasting the caffeinated beans as an experiment until he realised the end product was actually good enough to be sold.

“I’d roast the beans off a camping stove in the shed and pack them in the house,” Mr Parry said.

“I did a lot of research to find biodegradable, compostable packaging. At that time, there wasn’t too much of it about. When I found the right packaging, I saw some labels which I could print myself and it all came together.”

Mr Parry, from Prestatyn, recently increased his output and sources his coffee beans from an importer on the south coast, which aligns with his environmental values. He also has hopes one day to design and build his own wood-fired roaster to become exclusively off-grid.

His story is part of a surge in artisan micro-roasters with around 200 businesses now in the UK.

The North Wales man credits his name on the culinary map to the Hamper Llangollen Food Festival – hailed by the Daily Telegraph and Independent as one of the top 10 food festivals in the UK. Thousands of foodies will head to the Llangollen Pavilion on Sunday, October 19-20 for this year’s event and, as a thank you, Mr Parry will concoct a new blend exclusively for its visitors.

“Originally, I sold at local craft markets and small events. I was surprised how well it took off,” he said. “To go from craft markets to quite large events was really something. It was quite a leap forward for me.

“We’re now selling a lot more. It’s going quite well.”

Mug Run Coffee offers six speciality blends from Ethiopia, Honduras, East Timor, Sumatra, Rwanda and Honduras Decaf. It also supplies a growing number of cafes, restaurants and shops in North Wales, Shropshire and Cheshire, and sells at farmer’s markets and stalls.

“It’s nice to do a job I love, it doesn’t feel like work,” Mr Parry added.

“Coffee has changed a lot in the last five or six years. People are becoming more knowledgeable and understand the different flavours. It’s like fine wine. Some wines have gooseberries or raspberries – the flavours are already locked in there – you have to know how to bring them out and when coffee is brewed correctly all the flavours should come out.”

Llangollen Food Festival committee member Phil Davies said: “It is wonderful to hear success stories from local producers who continue to benefit from the festival exposure.

“Llangollen really is a fantastic launchpad for new and existing businesses and celebrates the hidden culinary wonders this part of the world has to offer.”