A collaborative coffee laboratory, flexible working space and consulting agency
Located on the 1st floor of The Coffee House, and a stone’s throw away from iconic London landmarks such as Borough Market, London Bridge and the Tate Modern, our collaborative working space can be utilised by coffee professionals and enthusiasts alike for a variety of activities. It can be hired as a tasting room to sample coffees and meet with London based network and customers. If you’re operating a coffee business and are not ready yet to invest in a large cupping room, sample roasting equipment or analysing tools, the lab is the perfect flexible workspace to conduct your quality control on green and roasted coffees. Or perhaps you are looking for a conveniently located space to organize your own coffee trainings, courses or seminars?
Coffee Quality Institute®
Q Professional Venue
Our team of experienced coffee specialists is also available for any training, mentoring and consultancy work on a variety of topics such as green coffee sourcing, roasting, brewing, product development and café or roastery opening.
If you have any questions about The Independent Coffee Lab setup or have specific needs for your business and projects, please feel free to reach out to us.
We would love to assist you and be part of your coffee journey!
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Join our community and unlock the power of collaboration.
As an ally to coffee businesses around the world, we assist coffee producers, green coffee importers and coffee roasting companies by providing services and opportunities to help advance their coffee knowledge and support the development of their projects. Our membership program offers several benefits and help foster our local coffee community by connecting members to other like-minded businesses and professionals through our online community hub and in-person events.
Meet the Team
François Knopes
Director | Coffee Consultant
François is the manager of the Independent Coffee Lab in London, and a freelance coffee consultant. He is, alongside his two siblings, the 4th generation of coffee roasters in his family that have been roasting since 1936.
Fascinated by the speciality coffee movement after watching the 2006 World Barista Championship in Bern, he started roasting that same year at the age of 19. He has since then delivered well over 20,000 commercial batches, and trained countless baristas and coffee roasters. With close to 20 years of experience in the coffee industry, François has extensive knowledge as a green coffee buyer, roaster, barista, café manager, business owner, coffee competitor and coffee consultant. As well as many years of work within his family business, Knopes Artisan Torréfacteur in Belgium and Luxembourg, he has also worked with a variety of renowned coffee companies, Ripe Coffee in New Zealand as well as Taylor St Baristas and Perky Blenders Coffee Roasters in the United Kingdom.
Julian Loayza
Freelancer | CQI Instructor
Originally from La Paz in Bolivia, Julian is a freelance Specialty Coffee Association AST trainer and Coffee Quality Institute Q Arabica Instructor.
After finishing university in Madrid (unrelated to coffee), he moved to Dubai and got his first job in the coffee sector. After three years living and working in the United Arab Emirates, first as a barista then as a cafe manager, his journey took him to London where he landed his first coffee roasting job at Monmouth Coffee Company. After learning the ropes and the challenges of the profession (lifting sacks, cleaning flues, etc.) he went on to work with various coffee roasting companies in the UK, including Qima, Terrone and 39Steps. He is now Quality Manager at Drury Tea & Coffee and teaches multiple modules of the SCA coffee skills program: Introduction to Coffee, Roasting, Barista Skills, Green Coffee and Sensory Skills. He is working towards becoming a CVA trainer (the new Coffee Value Assessment system released by the SCA) and is one of our resident CQI Instructor.
Andrew Whitworth-Smith
Freelancer | Event Coordinator
Andrew is an industry-community specialist and coffee roaster as well as the event coordinator for the Independent Coffee Lab in London.
Whilst studying for his Masters Degree in Biomechanics, Andrew moved quickly through the commercial coffee sector and into speciality after realising a newfound passion. Achieving a manager position shortly after graduating, he then moved to London in 2021 to immerse himself in coffee business and culture. Andrew has since excelled in multiple roles at Saint Espresso including Lead Barista and Trainer, Flagship Store Manager, and Production Roaster, all whilst gaining competition experience and SCA qualifications in Barista Skills and Brewing. He has since founded The Cupping Directives where Andrew has played a pivotal part in growing the community, culture and industry. His passion project turned business expertly coordinates and facilitates access to community and national events to positively shape the industry for everyone from producers to consumers.
Rena Kayali
Freelancer | Professional Coffee Workshops
An accomplished coffee professional, Rena brings a wealth of experience in coffee brewing and tasting, backed by her certifications from the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). Originally graduated as a Chemical Engineer, her journey into the coffee industry has been driven by a deep passion for discovering new flavours in coffee and sharing it with others. From managing high-stakes sales as an Account Manager at IKAWA to independently running specialty coffee shops, Rena has consistently demonstrated expertise and dedication across the industry.
Her extensive experience includes barista skills, sensory training, and a hands-on approach to coffee tasting and brewing. Rena now shares her knowledge through workshops at the Independent Coffee Lab, where she helps coffee lovers and professionals alike refine their brewing techniques and discover their ideal coffee profiles.
Andrew Prosser
Freelancer | CQI Instructor
Andy is a highly skilled coffee professional with a diverse and varied portfolio of certifications, including the Q Arabica Instructor License, Q Robusta Grader, Level 2 Processing Professional, ICE Robusta Grader, and SCA Trainer. He has taught in Burundi, Ireland, UK, Netherlands, Italy, and Bulgaria.
With extensive experience in the coffee industry, Andy has worked with green coffee importers and served as Head of Quality for a large multinational company. As an independent consultant, he brings a wealth of expertise and a global perspective to coffee processing, grading, and training. Originally from the UK, Andy is now based in Switzerland.
