The 37-year-old went from a homesick newcomer with no experience to head roaster at Thomson’s Coffee, with his winning roast inspired by his childhood on coffee farms, described as “deeply personal”.
Jonathan Martinez picking up his Best Roaster award(Image: Contributed)
A decade after moving to Scotland from El-Salvador, a Glasgow-based coffee roaster has been named the UK’s best.
Jonathan Martinez, originally from Ahuachapán in north-west El Salvador — a major coffee-producing region — moved to Glasgow after meeting his now wife, Nuala.
Homesick, unemployed and with no roasting experience, Jonathan began looking for work in 2016, soon after arriving in Scotland. Nuala, who worked at The Ubiquitous Chip, approached their coffee supplier, Thomson’s Coffee, to ask if any roles were available.
After a visit to the roastery, Jonathan took an entry-level position, packing and using his background in electronics to help with odd jobs. And he’s never looked back. Now, after competing against top roasters from across the UK at this year’s Glasgow Coffee Festival, he has been crowned the country’s best.
The 37-year-old, who now lives in Maryhill with Nuala and their three children, who are six, eight and 17 months old, said: “To be honest, moving to another country never crossed my mind. But that’s what love does to you, right?” he said.
Jonathan, who’s now Thomson’s head roaster, said: “I was feeling homesick and coffee felt like a link to my culture and my people. I began packing coffee and fixing anything that broke in the warehouse because of my background in electronics. Then I started roasting on the Loring, which was the first one in Scotland at the time.
“I grew up around coffee farms where we could walk freely and pick fruit from the trees. There weren’t things like holiday clubs, so we’d spend our time on the farms instead.”
The competition, which took place at Glasgow’s Coffee Feestival required finalists to roast an identical coffee to their own specifications, as well as submit a sourced coffee representing their brand’s style, judged through a blind, peer-assessed cupping.
Jonathan added: “My godfather Emanuel is a small coffee producer, and during school holidays I worked picking coffee to earn some money. I remember looking up steep hills knowing I’d have to carry heavy bags of cherries to the top.
“My favourite part was lunchtime, eating beans, tortillas and guamas, and then sitting together at the end of the day, sorting coffee cherries and talking. When a coffee from my hometown arrived at the roastery, I knew at least ten people who had hand-picked it. The winning roast was deeply personal as it immediately took me back to my childhood.”
Now with the responsibilities of being a dad-of-three and a head roaster, Jonathan is also studying for an electronics degree alongside his work.
He added: “Glasgow has given me a home, and I’m absolutely thrilled to bring this prize to the city. The calibre of competitors was outstanding. Glasgow Coffee Festival creates the perfect environment for coffee professionals to grow and showcase the dedication that goes into every cup.
“I’m proud of the coffee scene here with so many amazing cafés, outstanding roasteries and a real sense of community. People genuinely support each other.”
With 52 exhibitors, almost 3,000 tickets sold and a waiting list of more than 1,500, this year’s Glasgow Coffee Festival at The Briggait was its biggest and most in-demand yet. Visitors travelled from across the world, with 39 per cent coming from outside Glasgow.
Lisa Lawson, founder of both the Glasgow Coffee Festival and Dear Green Coffee Roasters, said: “We say it every year, but this was our biggest yet. Opening a second hall allowed us to do more than ever before, and demand continues to grow.
“This was a true celebration of a passionate and thriving coffee community, and I’m incredibly proud to be part of it.
“Thank you to everyone who makes Glasgow’s first class coffee scene as special as it is.”
Since launching in 2014, the festival has grown into a key fixture in the UK coffee calendar. New additions this year included the Best Roaster UK competition, the SCA UK Brewers Cup Championship and the Best Coffee Shops UK Awards.
The UK’s best coffee shops were selected by a panel and announced at the festival. Winners included Scottish favourites such as Birch, Ottoman Coffehouse, Zennor and Cairngorm Coffee, among others. All winners are now in the running for Europe’s 100 Best Coffee Shops, set to be announced in Brussels later this year.
As a not-for-profit event, more than £3,000 will be donated to charities from Glasgow Coffee Festival, including Bike for Good, Kwetu Coffee, Change Please and Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.
