AN independent coffee roasters has opened up a shop in a South Lakeland market town.

Anthony Gatrell is the man behind Kircabi Roasters in Kirkby Lonsdale, the latest addition to the growing Cumbrian coffee culture.

"I have always been passionate about coffee, but I just wanted to get the best cup of coffee I could really," said Anthony. "I wanted to know how I could make better coffee so I started doing some home roasting."

His shop on Main Street is now doing business although the opening times are still a little sporadic as he balances his new entrepreneurial venture with his job in the fire service and his new role as a father.

Anthony started home roasting a year-and-a-half ago and has spent time training at the London School of Coffee, including undertaking barista courses to help him perfect the perfect cup.

The 36-year-old, who lives in Kirkby Lonsdale, is currently selling his coffee to the public as well as wholesale and has recently worked with Kendal's newly-opened The Bristly Hog, which he cites as one of the his favourite places in the county to go for a caffeine hit.

At the moment his shop stocks both single origin coffee beans and grounds, but Anthony hopes that in a few months time he will be able to sell cups of coffee too.

He believes that, much like with real ales, more and more people are now beginning to discover just how good coffee can taste when it is made in smaller batches.

"There's a few others popping up," he said, talking about independent coffee roasters and shops. "But it would be nice to bring some decent coffee into Cumbria. In the bigger cities you can go and get a decent cup of coffee really easily and I thought I would try to do the same thing for Cumbria.

"I think people like knowing where things are coming from," he said. "There's more trust there I think."