Nick Saunders and Anita Le Roy opened the first shop in a grade II listed terraced house on Monmouth Street. Buying directly from individual farmers began in 1996, when the importer Mercanta opened, and several Monmouth baristas later founded their own coffee businesses.
The roastery moved to railway arches on Maltby Street in 2007, and opening one arch to the public on Saturdays in 2009 became the start of Maltby Street Market. Since 2018 the company has been based in five arches at Spa Terminus, with room for two roasters producing around five tonnes a week and staff in Colombia and Costa Rica.