Episode 3 of our new podcast series, recorded here at Ely Work Collective. Click here to listen to the episode.
What happens when a café idea doesn’t quite go to plan… but accidentally turns into a thriving speciality coffee business instead?
In episode 3 of the Made in Ely Podcast, we sat down with Ben Sulston, co-founder of Change Coffee Roasters, to talk all things coffee, hospitality, sustainability and building a business with purpose.
From late-night roasting sessions to sourcing better beans and championing local businesses, Ben shared a refreshingly honest look behind the scenes of running an independent coffee business.
And yes — if you drink coffee at Ely Work Collective, you’ve probably already tried Change.
From café plans to roastery realisation
Like many good business stories, Change Coffee wasn’t exactly Plan A.
Ben originally set out to launch a café with business partner Rachel — one built around local produce, growing their own ingredients, and eventually roasting their own coffee. But when the café plans fell through, they took one piece of the idea and ran with it.
“We started roasting coffee and realised that actually that was enough on its own.”
That pivot became Change Coffee Roasters: a small independent speciality coffee company focused on sourcing exceptional beans while making a genuine positive impact.
The name wasn’t accidental either. For Ben, “Change” reflects the bigger mission behind the business — from better sourcing and packaging through to sustainability projects around the world.
They’ve worked with rewilding initiatives, moved from compostable to fully recyclable packaging, and even invested in projects improving coffee-growing infrastructure.
Coffee is more complicated than most people realise
If you’ve ever looked at a bag of speciality coffee and thought I have absolutely no idea what any of this means, you’re not alone! Ben spoke candidly about how intimidating coffee culture can feel for newcomers — especially when tasting notes start sounding more like perfume descriptions than breakfast.
“If you see something that says raspberry, nougatine and milkshake… maybe that’s not the best introduction to speciality coffee.”
Instead, Ben’s philosophy is simple: good coffee shouldn’t feel elitist. It should be approachable, enjoyable, and rooted in quality. For him, great coffee starts long before roasting. “What makes a good cup of coffee is a good farm.”
Ben explained how much work happens before beans even reach a roastery — from growing and processing to ethical sourcing and sustainability improvements at farm level. And once people try genuinely well-sourced, well-roasted coffee, it tends to change their standards pretty quickly.
The less glamorous side of coffee roasting
Running an independent business always sounds romantic until you’re dealing with courier delays and packaging disasters.
Ben didn’t shy away from the less glamorous realities of business ownership. “Packaging is a nightmare. Couriers and packaging are the two things.”
One particularly memorable early challenge involved collecting their very first coffee roaster from Amsterdam.
Rachel drove over to collect it, only to discover it looked significantly larger than expected. “She sent a photo of the roaster and the van looking like it wasn’t going to fit.” Thankfully, it did fit (just), and the adventure officially began.
Since then, Ben has been juggling Change Coffee alongside his long-standing career as a chef — often roasting coffee late at night after finishing other work. “You can roast coffee at midnight, so it’s fine.” Not exactly a textbook work-life balance, but clearly powered by excellent caffeine.
A chef first, coffee roaster second
Before coffee, there was food.
Ben has spent over 25 years in hospitality, starting remarkably early with work experience in kitchens before landing an apprenticeship at the University Arms in Cambridge. That food background shapes everything he does now.
You can hear it in the way he talks about flavour, ingredients, sourcing and customer experience. It also explains why he’s still running hugely popular supper clubs alongside the coffee business. And these aren’t your average “stick a few candles out and call it rustic” dinner events.
Ben’s supper clubs are deeply rooted in local produce and partnerships, often hosted at Willow Grange Farm Shop, using their beef alongside locally sourced ingredients and suppliers like Grain Culture. “Everything sourced locally… making it an experience.”
Why local businesses need local support
One of the strongest themes throughout the episode was community. Ben is a big advocate for supporting local businesses — not just as a nice idea, but as something practical and necessary. “Why would you buy your bread from someone that’s not five minutes down the road if they’re selling it?” It’s a fair question.
Whether it’s bread, coffee, meat or workspace memberships, there’s a growing appetite for buying better and buying closer to home.
Ben also highlighted how social media can be a powerful tool for small businesses when used well. Not polished campaigns. Not over-produced reels, just simple recommendations. “Just by sharing something to your stories… people might discover somewhere two minutes from them they never knew existed.”
Final thoughts: you have to love it
Like most founders worth listening to, Ben was honest about the realities of building something yourself. It’s hard. It’s messy. There are definitely easier ways to make money. But if you care deeply enough about what you’re building, that tends to carry you through the tougher moments.
“You have to love it.” Simple advice, but probably the most honest takeaway of the episode.
Where to Find Change Coffee
- In person – You can find Change Coffee at their tastings and cupping events, or of course, brewed fresh right here at Ely Work Collective
- Online – https://changecoffee.co.uk/
- Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/changecoffeeroasters/
Made in Ely is our podcast series chatting to local business owners about what they’re building and how they’re doing it. Recorded at Ely Work Collective. Follow us for future episodes. https://madeinely.podbean.com/
No responses yet