OUR STORY

a family heritage in tea & coffee

  • Late 1800s

    The beginning

    The Bradshaw passion for fine coffee began in the late 1800s when Richard Goodwin Bradshaw, the son of a London publican, swapped the family pub, The Shades Tavern, for a milder brew. ‘RGB’ as he was known, joined Wilson Smithett, the principal City of London tea broker as a taster and then became a broker. Later he became an expert in trading and blending tea from Ceylon.
  • 1930 onwards

    continuing the footsteps

    RGB’s son Dorman Bradshaw, Francis’s grandfather, continued in his father’s footsteps as a broker.
  • 1960 onwards

    developing nestle gold blend

    Haydon, Francis’ father began his career at Wilson Smithett, where he became a tea and coffee broker. He then worked at Lyons Tea and moved to Nestle to develop Gold Blend. Further moving on as a coffee consultant working for famous brands like Waitrose. and Greggs. Richard Bradshaw also worked at Wilson Smithett and set up Goodwin Teas.
  • 2012

    moon roast was born

    In 2012, Francis Bradshaw commissioned a Probat Coffee Roaster in a small barn in his backyard and began roasting at night after a day’s work. And so Moon Roast was born.
  • 2017

    chilton manor farm

    In 2017, Moon Roast moved to our purpose-built roastery in converted Grade 2 listed outbuildings on Chilton Manor Farm, where an additional roaster was installed. We also have barista training facilities and a kiosk, where our customers can purchase freshly roasted beans and a cup of expertly brewed coffee.
  • 2017

    Probat P25

    An additional Probat roaster was installed.
  • 2022

    Loring 35

    The purchase of our Loring roaster was made possible through the Leader Programme and funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
  • 2023

    Salsa Accreditation

    We are proud to be SALSA accredited, a recognition that underscores our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of food safety and quality.
  • 2026

    continuing our journey

    Team Moon Roast now numbers 10. Passionate about our craft, our time goes into exploring ethically sourced, seasonally selected Arabica beans, from various origins world wide and roasting beans to bring out the very best of their natural attributes.