Starting Up with Victoria Troth @ The Missing Bean

In early 2009 Ori and I were finishing our studies at film school in Sydney, and planning our return to the UK.

Although very interested in film, we also had another passion – coffee! We had both been working in the coffee industry alongside our studies, and so it wasn’t long before we began thinking about starting up a coffee shop back in our home city of Oxford.

In mid-October of that year we opened the Missing Bean Café on Turl Street.

We were confident we could make a great cup of coffee, and that we were embarking on something different to what was then on offer.

Our first day was blustery and autumnal – a far cry from the sunny skies we had been used to in Australia, but it was a great first day nevertheless!

As we turned off the lights and locked up that evening we were certainly exhausted, but also very excited about what was in store for “the Bean”!

We set out to create a warm, friendly café with good atmosphere and a focus firmly on the coffee, similar to what we had seen in Australia. From the very start we had a fantastic reception and wonderful customers – many of whom have become firm friends.

We soon realised that our passion for coffee was shared by our customers, who were interested to know more about the origin of the coffee – the varieties and processing methods, as well as the producers themselves.

Although we had sought out excellent suppliers from the very start, as we grew we felt we wanted to be in full control of our coffee, and so our thoughts turned to roasting our own.

Fast-forward to 2014: we were in a position to seriously consider roasting our own coffee, and began looking for the right premises. We wanted to find somewhere in Oxford rather than on the outskirts on an industrial estate.

Somewhere we could be part of a community and where people could come and see how coffee is roasted while enjoying a brew and a chat with friends. After a few months of searching we found our place – a space just the right size on Magdalen Road in East Oxford. It’s a part of town that has developed a reputation as a real food and drink hot spot, making it the perfect place for an independent coffee roastery!

We ordered all the equipment and began to design the space. Ori had experience of roasting back in Australia, as well as training in Europe, and had also worked as a roaster for a startup company in the UK. In late 2014 we opened the doors to the roastery and began on a new path.

We roast coffee for the café on Turl Street, and have started roasting for a number of other restaurants and cafés. We roast every Saturday, and are open to the public from 10am to 2pm. We already have some lovely regulars who buy coffee for home (we’re always happy to help find the right coffee for you!), as well as those who just pop in for a chat over a flat white.

We have noticed that the children coming in with their parents are particularly fascinated by the roasting, so perhaps Ori will have an apprentice before long!

We are trying to work directly with farmers wherever possible so that they get a better deal.

In addition to our house bend we have several single estate coffees, including one from a very small farm in the Chilchos Valley of Peru – in fact we are their sole buyer.

We’re planning to visit them later in the year which is exciting. We’ll let you know how it goes!

TRY IT
The Missing Bean Roastery, 1 Newtec Place, Magdalen Road, Oxford. Open Saturdays 10am-2pm, and runs coffee courses every month.
See themissingbean.co.uk
The Missing Bean Café, 14 Turl Street Oxford. 
Call 01865 794886