Meet the Team

There are seven of us making up Team Foundry. Its a great team, everyone has different talents and work in different parts of the company but we're a small business so we see a lot of each other. We all regularly work barista shifts in our coffee shop - it's the best way of staying connected to how our guests connect with our coffee and the coffee shop works a lot like a lab for us.

We thought it would be fun to introduce the team to you. So, here goes - (mostly) in their own words and in alphabetical order.

Bidisha

'Before we launched Foundry Coffee Roasters, I rarely drank coffee, but was inspired by the passion of our fabulous team and haven’t looked back since! - I love clean, well balanced washed coffee from Central America if you're curious. I love working with everyone at Foundry and they feel like my second family. When not managing the coffee shop, or taking care of the business behind the scenes, my passion is cooking and creating new Bengali dishes from my Indian heritage. I also love spending time with my family and painting. 

You'll see me making crepes from time to time in our coffee shop.' 

(Bidisha pretty much runs the business side of our business, which means we can do what we do. She probably wouldn't like to admit it, but she always seems pretty happy when she has developed a spreadsheet for something - Lee.)

Lee

'Up until recently, I was roasting most of the coffee at Foundry as well as maintaining our website and being a main point of contact for our customers. It's been amazing to see our team grown slowly over the past few years. They're all wonderful people and I feel lucky that they work with us. 

I'm not in the coffee shop as much as I used to be but still enjoy the odd barista shift. I'd say that my favourite thing about working at Foundry is sourcing new coffee. It's always such a thrill to get a new batch of samples - I just love the anticipation and the buzz I Get when I find something special. Outside of work, I enjoy reading, walking and writing - and of course, spending time with my amazing family.'

Victoria

'After working at a few different coffee shops (and trying out several other professions to boot) I feel I’ve found my home at Foundry! Making and enjoying incredible coffee with the best like minded people is what life’s about. Outside of work I do a bit of carpentry, volunteer at a National Trust property, enjoy a big ole walk with my doggo and drink even more coffee'.

(Victoria is a great people person and always seems to have a smile on her face. I'm looking forward to showing her the roasting ropes in early 2021 and I just know she'll be a natural - Lee).

Vilma

'I'm Vilma and I've been on board for over 3 years. During my time at team Foundry, I have really developed my pallet and have a huge love for natural processed coffees. I am always willing to learn and love interacting with customers, hence you may have met me previously while visiting our coffee shop.

My other passions include climbing, dying my hair in crazy colours and petting strangers dogs.'

(Vilma is our longest serving team member outside of Bidisha and myself. In that time, she has completed a university degree and become obsessed with climbing. She is also capable of drinking heroic quantities of coffee and getting very excited about it. - Lee.)

Zac

'Working for Foundry Coffee Roasters is like being part of a family. I feel super lucky to have the job I do and look forward learning more and more about the process of bringing the best in coffee beans. Outside of work I enjoy making music, baking bread and tending to my allotment.'

(Zac is most likely the guy roasting your coffee! - its been great to pass on the skills to someone so exacting in his approach to things. I also enjoy our chats about music, philosophy and politics. - Lee).