Roasting at Origin 2026: Lessons for Cambodian Coffee Roasters

Quick answer: A Los Angeles roaster announced on 25 September 2026 that it will move 20% of its roasting to origin by the end of 2026 and 70% by the end of 2027, working with producers on roast profiles. A separate UK company is building a service that lets businesses compare green coffees and pull per-kilo Scope 3 emissions data. Both point the same way: value is moving toward the producing country and toward measurable data. For Cambodia, roasting locally is already possible; the work is in documentation.

What was announced

Perfect Daily Grind's 25 September 2026 recap reports that Go Get Em Tiger, a Los Angeles roaster, is partnering with producers to roast at origin. The company says it plans to move 20% of its total roasting to origin by the end of 2026 and 70% by the end of 2027, and to develop roast profiles together with producers.

The same recap notes that kWh Coffee, a York-based roaster that roasts entirely on electricity, closed an equity round and won a grant. Its funding will go toward an end-to-end "roasting-as-a-service" model that lets businesses compare green coffees online, pull per-kilo Scope 3 emissions data for their reporting, and manage costs.

These are company announcements, not independent measurements of results, so the figures describe plans and stated intentions.

Why the idea matters to producing countries

Traditionally, most coffee leaves its country as green beans and is roasted in the consuming market, where much of the margin and the roast decisions sit. Roasting at origin changes who controls those decisions. The producer side takes part in the roast profile, and the buyer receives a finished product or works from profiles agreed with the people who know the coffee best.

For a producing country, this can mean more skilled jobs and more of the value staying nearby. The announcement also shows that a buyer in a major Western market now considers it worth building around.

What it takes to roast well at origin

Roasting at origin is not simply installing a roaster. It depends on several things that producing regions have to build:

• Reliable energy and equipment maintenance, since roast consistency depends on stable heat and well-kept machines.
• Trained roasters and cuppers, so that roast profiles are developed and judged to a standard.
• Roast logs and sample records, so a profile can be repeated and a problem traced.
• Packaging and logistics that protect freshness through shipping and storage.
• Quality evaluation that buyers recognise, such as cupping notes and, where applicable, scores from licensed graders.

None of these are unique to Cambodia, and none are guaranteed by simply being at origin. A poorly controlled origin roast can be worse than a well-controlled roast abroad.

The data signal in kWh Coffee's model

The emissions piece deserves attention on its own. Buyers increasingly have to report Scope 3 emissions, meaning indirect emissions across their supply chain. A service that provides per-kilo figures for different green coffees turns a sustainability question into a comparison on a spreadsheet.

For a small origin, the implication is practical: buyers will increasingly expect numbers, not adjectives. Whether a coffee is roasted locally, how far it travels and how it was processed are all things a buyer's reporting may ask about. We have not seen any Cambodia-specific emissions data for coffee in these sources, so this is a direction of travel, not a Cambodian result.

What Cambodian roasters can take from this

Cambodia already has roasters in its cities, and roasting locally is not new. What the announcements suggest is where to focus effort:

1. Keep roast logs. Record roast degree, development time, batch size and cupping results, so a profile can be repeated and explained.
2. Develop profiles with the people who handle the green coffee. Producers and processors know how a lot behaves and can improve outcomes.
3. Separate lots and label them. A buyer cannot approve what they cannot identify.
4. Prepare the data a buyer may request, including origin, processing method and transport details.
5. Be honest about scale. Cambodia's volume is small, so the offer is a defined, repeatable product, not a large flow.

Why the timing is worth noticing

Both announcements arrived in the same week as record Brazilian harvest forecasts and falling futures. When coffee is plentiful and cheap, roasters and brands look for other ways to differentiate, and working closely with producers is one of the few levers that does not depend on the price of the commodity. That makes the topic relevant to small origins: a buyer who wants a distinctive, traceable product has to find suppliers who can supply information as well as beans.

It also means producers should expect more questions about process, not fewer. The better prepared a supplier is to answer them, the easier it becomes to take part in conversations like these.

What remains uncertain

Both announcements are early. Go Get Em Tiger's 70% target is for the end of 2027, and the sources do not say how it will be achieved or what the results will be. kWh Coffee's model is newly funded. Neither tells us whether Cambodian coffee will be involved, and we should not suggest otherwise.

Frequently asked questions

Does roasting at origin make coffee better?

Not by itself. Quality depends on how well the roast is controlled and how the coffee reaches the drinker, not only on location.

Is anyone roasting Cambodian coffee at origin?

Yes, roasters operate in Cambodian cities. The sources here do not describe a specific Western roaster moving its roasting to Cambodia.

Why do Scope 3 numbers matter?

Companies are asked to report indirect supply-chain emissions, so buyers may start requesting per-kilo data when choosing green coffee.

OCC takeaway

Roasting at origin is a trend to watch, not a promise to Cambodia. The practical response is better records: roast logs, lot labels and the data a buyer may ask for.

Sources

• Perfect Daily Grind, Coffee News Recap, 25 September 2026 (Go Get Em Tiger; kWh Coffee): https://perfectdailygrind.com/2026/09/coffee-news-recap-25-september-2026/