Formative opened in Victoria, London, in March 2019, founded by Ian Kissick. It started as a multi roaster café working with guest roasters like La Cabra before Ian began roasting Formative's own coffee in 2022 at PLOT Roasting's facilities in South London. Ian won the UK Barista Championship in 2023 and placed sixth at the World Barista Championship in 2024. The café still rotates its menu roughly every two weeks, blending its own roasts with guest selections. Sprudge named it runner up for World's Best New Café on its first anniversary.