A COFFEE roastery in North Yorkshire is celebrating after a member of its team gained a prestigious industry qualification.

Head roaster of Rounton Coffee Roasters David Burton is one of only 81 people in the UK to have successfully gained a Q Arabica Grader (Q Grader) accreditation.

Gaining the qualification has put the company, which is based near Northallerton, at the forefront of the speciality coffee industry and has confirmed the team buys and roasts coffee that meets high-quality standards.

The award now allows the business to continue to source quality coffee at origin, forging ever more closer relationships with farmers and exporters across the world.

Mr Burton said: “There were 19 assessments during the process; it definitely feels like a lot of hard work has paid off and I look forward to driving our quality even further. Achieving the qualification has given me the validation that we are roasting the coffee we purchase to a very high standard – this is what we work for.”

In addition to the main roastery, The Granary, in East Rounton, the company also runs two food and drink establishments: Bedford Street Coffee in Middlesbrough, and The Joiner’s Shop in Ingleby Cross.