At Mash + Mint, we believe the best stories start with a cup of something warm. So we sat down with Alice, co-founder of RISE Coffee Box, the multi-award-winning subscription service that’s shaking up the UK coffee scene. Built during lockdown with purpose at its core, RISE is all about ethical sourcing, sustainability, and making specialty coffee feel approachable and exciting. In this Q&A, Alice takes us behind the scenes of their monthly coffee curation process, shares insights from their impactful work with farmers in Uganda, and offers tips on crafting your perfect at-home brew ritual.
Founders Alice and Ben
For anyone new to the concept, what is RISE and what makes your coffee subscription different?
RISE coffee box is a multi-award-winning coffee subscription showcasing the best of independent coffee roasters. Each month we send thousands of customers two unique specialty coffees to try, along with an 8-page coffee guide and added extra freebies such as barista oat milk.
My partner Ben and I started RISE from our South London flat during the 2020 lockdown, frustrated by the lack of sustainable, ethical coffee options on supermarket shelves. Our business prioritises sustainability, fair practices and ethical sourcing, which has seen us awarded the rigorous B corp certification.
One of the key things that makes us unique is our approach to coffee in general - many specialty brands out there are a bit more high brow and target “coffee snobs”, and our brand is designed to be fun, exciting, approachable and jargon free. Our customers want great, freshly roasted and sustainably sourced coffee delivered to their door - and that’s what we do. We also give back 1% of our revenue (not profit!) directly to coffee farmers living in poverty, through our own projects we've set up directly with farming communities. More on that later…
How does your team go about selecting the roasters and coffees you include in each box?
We follow a rigorous process when it comes to selecting the coffees we feature. First, Ben and I travel across the UK in search of exciting roasters and cafés serving exceptional coffee, always on the lookout for the very best we can find!
We then blind taste hundreds of coffees to create a shortlist of those that truly stand out. Tasting blind ensures we’re not influenced by branding, storytelling, or origin - just the flavour in the cup.
Once we’ve narrowed it down, we send additional samples to our dedicated taste test panel for further feedback. At this stage, we also request more detailed information from the roasters about the coffee and the farmers who grew it, ensuring every choice aligns with our strict sustainability standards.
It’s a thorough and incredibly fun process, and we believe it’s one of the reasons why we’re the best coffee club in the UK.
Many of our readers care about where their products come from, can you tell us more about the Friendly Coffee Fund and how RISE gives back to farmers and their families?
Yes! Our Friendly Coffee Fund is the heart of everything we do at RISE. Our first project is based in Western Uganda. We traveled there in 2023 and spent some time with the coffee farmers, understanding their livelihoods and what sustainability challenges they faced. One of the biggest challenges we saw was that coffee farmers are often keeping their children at home to work on the coffee farm, instead of sending them to school. This is for a myriad of complex reasons, but one of those is the fact that school fees are so expensive versus wages, and another is that not all families understand the benefits of their children going to school.
To change this, we’ve partnered with fellow B-corp certified coffee brand, AgriEvolve, to set up a project that tackles child labour on the ground. This involves helping parents to pay for school fees, providing school equipment and clothing, and hosting activity days where the community can get together to learn about the benefits of schooling. So far we’ve helped over 50 children with full time education, and on a personal level are committed to supporting those children through to the end of school. Most of the children are orphans or from broken homes, and we’re really glad we can help those who really need support.
We’re big believers in daily rituals at Mash + Mint. What’s your ideal morning coffee moment at home? Where do you sit? What’s your setup?
I love a black coffee first thing in the morning! After the baby wakes up either Ben or I come down with him, and he plays a little whilst we make that first, most important brew! If I have time (and hands! I will make a pour over coffee using a Chemex and savour a few cups over an hour or so, with Jazz FM on the radio and a lovely view into the garden. My son loves to watch the pigeons come and sit on the fence, so we do a spot of bird watching whilst I have my first coffee! Setup wise we have a Sage Barista coffee machine, and as you can imagine, a plethora of other coffee equipment! So sometimes we switch it up and make a cafetiere, or multiple espressos.
For those wanting to style a perfect at-home coffee station, what are your top tips or essentials to make it both practical and beautiful?
One very practical tip is to make sure your machine is near a bin and a water source (as well as a plug!) Sounds obvious but when we first moved in our coffee machine was on the countertop at the other end of the sink and bin, and we were forever trailing water and coffee across the floor! Ben likes to have coffee equipment out on the kitchen surfaces so it’s within easy reach, but I much prefer it to be tidied away. In terms of a beautiful set up, some coffee equipment is beautifully designed, whereas other pieces can be clunky, so it’s worth shopping around when you're after something you will use frequently. The chemex I mentioned is quite aesthetically pleasing.
You work with some of the UK’s best independent roasters, what are some recent favourites that really stood out?
That’s a really tough one! A firm favourite of ours is South London based Press Coffee, because they were our very first roasting partner, and have become good friends of ours. Their coffee is excellent and they also have 5 central London cafes. We also love Climpson & Sons (in East London) as they always source from exotic origins, and B corp certified Bailies coffee roasted who are based in Belfast.
What are the most common questions people ask before starting a coffee subscription? And how would you answer them?
The most common questions are:
What if I don’t have fancy equipment?
This question is my favourite! Because there is absolutely no need for fancy coffee equipment. I always say to people - just start with a cafetiere (which you can buy from as little as £6). As long as you have high quality, freshly roasted ground coffee, the coffee will taste delicious! If you want an espresso but don’t want to pay for an espresso machine, again, no problem! You can just get a Moka Pot which makes espresso-like coffee on your hob or stove top. From there you can work your way up to a machine!
Do I have to buy whole beans?
Absolutely not - we also sell freshly roasted ground coffee which is ground at the roastery. Ground coffee is easier for those more cost effective pieces of coffee equipment such a french press/cafetiere, moka pot, V60, pour over, chemex etc!
What’s the difference between your coffee and supermarket coffee?
In short, quite a lot! Supermarket coffee is often stale, having sat in the bag for up to 2 years. Our coffee is freshly roasted by our indie roasters, often roasted within a few days of you drinking it. Supermarkets most often sell commodity coffee, sourced from multiple regions for a low price before being mass produced in large factories. Our coffee is specialty coffee, which means it’s ethically sourced from smallholder farmers and is of the highest quality.
What’s one myth or misconception about coffee that you'd love to debunk?
You don’t need to be a coffee snob to enjoy a good cup of coffee. Most of our coffee community are every day coffee drinkers who appreciate a nice cup of coffee and want to support a sustainable, independent business.
Coffee and interiors are a dream match, what kind of home vibe do you think matches the RISE Coffee Box ethos?
Modern, quirky and with a splash of colour!
You’re always discovering new roasters, any up-and-coming names we should watch out for?
There are around 350 coffee roasters in the UK and more spring up every month! We’re proud to have featured some of the UK’s fastest growing roasters. A few to call out would be: Tambia, Routes Coffee, Small Batch and Two Chimps coffee.
If RISE Coffee Box was a piece of furniture, what would it be and why?
We’d have to go with a coffee table. All good days start with a coffee and there’s nothing better than a coffee and a chat with a friend or loved one. We’d have to go for one that was handcrafted, sustainably made in the UK, using the best pinewood, with that delicious pine smell lingering.
How do you personally take your coffee, and has that changed since launching RISE?
I used to stick to the same coffee over and over, but I now experiment with all sorts of coffees and try to drink them using the best brew method for the beans. For example, if I am drinking a coffee that has zesty and fruity notes I’ll try it black (as an Americano / Long Black or Filter). If I am drinking a more traditional chocolatey coffee i’ll add some milk.
Any seasonal coffee tips? What are your go-to winter brews vs. summer favourites?
This summer it’s all about a mix up on the iced latte - think adding orange, pistachio, matcha, dirty chai….! Here’s a fun recipe for an Orange Espresso.
Ingredients:
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1 shot (30ml) of freshly brewed espresso
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100ml fresh orange juice (ideally cold-pressed or freshly squeezed)
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Ice cubes
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Optional: 1 tsp sugar syrup or honey (if you like it sweeter)
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Optional garnish: Orange slice or twist of peel
Instructions:
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Fill a glass with ice cubes (a short tumbler or rocks glass works well).
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Pour in the orange juice and sweetener if using. Stir to mix.
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Gently pour the espresso over the back of a spoon to create a layered effect (optional for aesthetic, not essential for taste).
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Garnish with an orange slice or peel.
We also have a great partnership with Spoon Cereals where we’ve created an ‘Overnight Oats Tiramisu’ - which is comforting for all seasons! Head to our socials for the full recipe.
For anyone looking to make their daily coffee moment more meaningful, where should they start?
Meditate or take a minute whilst it brews. When do we ever get a moment to ourselves these days? If you brew a cafetiere, let it steep for 4 mins. In those 4 mins just breathe and wait. You can add in some stretches if you want!
Tell us something about RISE that we don’t already know?
We’ve got some BIG plans on the horizon, and we couldn’t be more excited about what’s to come.
A few years ago, during a life-changing trip to Uganda, there was a moment when we both knew, RISE was our future. Not long after, we took the leap, left our jobs, and committed to the business full time.
Since then, RISE has grown exponentially. We’ve learned a lot, stayed true to our mission, and are now really finding our rhythm.
So… watch this space, because we’re just getting started!
Whether you’re a seasoned coffee enthusiast or just someone who savours their morning moment, RISE Coffee Box is proof that conscious choices can start with your cup. With passion, purpose, and a whole lot of flavour, Alice and the RISE team are redefining what it means to drink responsibly. We’ll be watching closely as they continue to brew change, one delicious, ethically sourced cup at a time.
