Exe Coffee Roasters was started in 2012 by Kim and Steve Pearson on Exeter's high street. Steve built the original roaster from scrap pieces; today they roast on a Probat 12kg, producing close to 300 kilos a week from a basement roastery beneath their café on Heavitree Road. The operation is deliberately compact and independent, focused on seasonal espresso blends and a rotating selection of two or three single origins. Steve previously owned Devon Coffee in central Exeter, which he sold to concentrate fully on roasting. The café doubles as a gathering spot, complete with a brick fired pizza oven in the back yard.