Our story

What started as a hobby at home in the garage has become the quality coffee beans that you’ve come to love. Bruce was looking for something to occupy his time, and he thought roasting coffee beans would be a nice leisurely hobby, ‘how hard can it be’ he thought. Bruce started roasting in his garage in 2013 and quickly realised that this is not for the faint hearted. If you want a decent coffee, it has to start with a quality product and the right roasting process.

After training at the London School of Coffee and an intensive year of practise roasting, Silver Oak Coffee was born and we started trading in 2014. Initially, we took our beans out to farmers’ markets and food shows and then we got established on local markets in the East of England; including Ely, Stamford, Cambridge, Newmarket, St Ives and Bury St Edmunds. Packing up the car with an espresso machine, filtered water and our delicious coffee beans, Bruce
was excited to share his passion for coffee and make espresso-based drinks at the markets and shows. Queues formed and the business grew significantly because people could now taste the coffee, they loved the coffee and they bought the beans. The business grew quickly and we took on a business unit in Cambridgeshire to roast more beans and get Bruce out of the garage!

Given the opportunity to trade 7 days a week on Ely Market, Bruce and Susanne leapt at the chance. They bought their flagship two storey trailer, fondly known as The Rig, where customers can sit on the roof and overlook the beautiful Ely Cathedral. Their Coffee Bus still goes out to shows and events and they have recently moved into a larger roastery.

In March 2023 we opened The Yard – by Silver Oak, offering locals and those visiting the cathedral city of Ely a place to meet friends and family and enjoy great food, drinks…and of course coffee! This is an outdoor site that reflects our market tradition. The Yard has five shipping containers, one is a Coffee Bar with our signature coffee and the others do food and drink. The site was awarded as ‘Cambridgeshire’s Best Independent Café’ in 2024 and has recently been recognised in Tripadvisor’s® Travellers’ Choice® Awards for 2024. The award honours businesses that consistently earn great reviews, placing them among the top 10% of listings around the world on Tripadvisor.

Behind-the-scenes we are excited to launch our new coffee subscription and continue to share our passion for all things coffee with you!

Our values

Using ethically and sustainably run farms

All our beans are sourced through Mercanta - The Coffee Hunters, who have the awesome job of visiting coffee farms to ensure sustainable and ethical practices are being kept.

Never compromising on quality

Bruce's exacting standards and strict quality control criteria ensure nothing leaves the roastery less than perfect. "That's still drinkable" won't cut it here!

Striving for constant improvement

We know that the world of speciality coffee is an ever changing landscape, this means every day there is something new to learn. We love nothing more than passing that knowledge on to our customers.

About the team

Silver Oak Coffee Ltd has Bruce at its heart. Bruce is consumed by passion for coffee and always has been. He is a total perfectionist and will talk coffee for hours, given the chance. He trained at The London School of Coffee and is a skilled barista, as well as expert roaster and insists on high standards from the whole team. We have some great baristas who help us get delicious coffees out to people, but we are always looking for new people who love making speciality coffee.