Alex Krag founded North Star Coffee Roasters in Leeds in 2013, aged 22, establishing the city's first wholesale roastery. The company became B Corp certified in 2022 and in 2021 was the first coffee company in the UK to adopt home compostable packaging. North Star legally restructured to exist for all stakeholders rather than shareholders, placing people and planet ahead of profit. Head buyer Hols, a licensed Q Grader since 2014 and Cup of Excellence international juror, leads the sourcing, building long term relationships with producing partners. In 2019 the roastery established its first funded impact project with producer Maria Zoila Piñeda in El Salvador. The Leeds Dock coffee shop and general store opened in 2017.