Hundred House Coffee
A Shropshire micro-roastery where every bag quietly funds contemporary art.
Shropshire Hills, UK
The story
Hundred House Coffee
A small Shropshire micro-roastery founded by a Q-grader and a contemporary art curator. Carefully chosen seasonal coffees, light-to-medium roasting, and a working principle that the business should help fund the arts.
Hundred House Coffee was founded in 2016 by Matthew Wade — a Q Arabica Grader with two decades in specialty roasting — together with Anabelle de Gersigny, who came from a long career in contemporary art and the non-profit cultural sector. They started in a converted barn in the Shropshire Hills, sharing space with other rural food producers.
From the beginning, the company's stated principle has been to 'support the arts through industry' — working with artists, designers and public galleries, and committing a meaningful share of profits to art and design initiatives. The roastery operates as much as a cultural project as a coffee business.
On the coffee, the range is deliberately small and carefully chosen — seasonal single origins and blends sourced through direct relationships and a tight group of trusted importers, with guaranteed prices to producers that sit independently of the C-market. Recent menus have included coffees from Tanzania, Kenya, Colombia, Guatemala, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Nicaragua, around 80% of them shade-grown, roasted light to medium in a modern specialty style.
Social impact
Hundred House pair direct-trade specialty coffee with an explicit art and industry programme — buying a bag underwrites both the producer and the cultural work.
Art & Industry Programme
A documented commitment to support contemporary art and design through the business — collaborations with artists, designers and public galleries.
Guaranteed Producer Pricing
Direct trade and trusted importers, with pricing structured to sit independently of C-market swings.
Shade-Grown Focus
Around 80% of single origins are shade-grown — a small, deliberate range chosen for environmental as well as cup quality.