Gavin Dow founded Coffee Central in Nottingham in 2003, initially as a San Remo equipment distributor and coffee wholesaler buying contract roasted coffee for the East Midlands. The shift to in house roasting came in 2011 with a 15kg Toper drum roaster, now expanded to twin 15kg drums plus a sample roaster. Head roaster Dean, a former chef in high end restaurant kitchens, joined in 2013 and brought a focus on quality and provenance. Green beans come through direct trade specialists DR Wakefield, Interamerican Coffees, and Falcon Specialty. The operation supplies espresso machines and freshly roasted coffee across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Leicestershire, with a constantly changing roster of single origin coffees alongside staple espresso blends.