Morningdog Coffee produces quality single-origin coffees in the heart of Deeside.
The Aboyne coffee roasting company is run by Alan Watson, who crafts his creations from the log cabin at the bottom of his and his partner’s garden.
A DIY ethos has been prevalent from Morningdog’s beginnings in 2018 as Alan has now turned his passion and curiosity for coffee into his full-time job.
Coffee beans from all across the world make up Morningdog’s current range of six coffees.
Alan wholesales to various businesses across Aberdeenshire and customers can also buy coffees directly from Morningdog’s website.
Morningdog’s reach has been growing exponentially over recent months. But above all, Alan says that he loves being part of the food and drink community in the north-east.
“The sense of community within food and drink in the north-east of Scotland is so enjoyable to be a part of,” says Alan.
“We all bounce off each other, support each other and share ideas.
“We’re there to serve the public in the best way we can and grow our businesses at the same time. It’s a nice environment to work in.”
Humble beginnings
Before Morningdog Coffee, Alan’s career revolved around consultancy work in the oil and gas industry.
Originally from Fife, he has spent most of his life in the north-east and studied at the University of Aberdeen in the late 70s.
However, while his daughter was studying at university in Glasgow, little did Alan know that a brand-new career pursuit was beginning to brew.
“My daughter, Ailsa, was a barista in her late teens while she was at university,” says Alan.
“She would come home and tell us all about the machines she’d worked on, the training she had, and I just started Googling out of curiosity.
“When I started looking into the whole process of how coffee is produced, I actually found it very interesting.
“So, I decided I would dabble in it.”
New direction
Alan first started roasting coffee in April 2018 with a small machine costing £500.
Initially surprised to find the coffee “drinkable,” Alan later set up a website and began attending farmers’ markets which attracted local coffee lovers – and, with its unique brand name, some dog lovers too.
“When people began buying online and from the farmers markets, that’s when I first thought I was onto something,” says Alan.
“Our pet dog Pepe was the inspiration behind the name as he was full of joy, vitality and was the first thing I saw every morning.
“People have brought their dogs to stalls at markets, others have come thinking it’s coffee for dogs!”
Boosted by this momentum, Alan later invested in a small-scale industrial machine which allowed him to roast larger quantities of coffee beans.
He also set up a new workstation in a log cabin at the bottom of the garden at his home in Cults at the time.
But the pandemic posed a major turning point.
“In 2020, when I finished my oil and gas contract in the Middle East, I thought my prospects of getting back into the industry were fairly slim during the pandemic,” Alan explains.
“So, I thought I’d make a go of it selling products online with Morningdog Coffee during the pandemic.
“We worked on the back of that local demand and it has turned out great for us.
“We moved sticks to Aboyne that same year and have been going strong ever since.”
Full steam ahead
Alan currently sells his coffees to 14 different stockists across Aberdeenshire, including Refillosophy in Aberdeen and Deeside Creations in Aboyne.
His target for growth is to reach 50 stockists in the next few years, but at the heart of it all is Morningdog’s quality coffees.
“Our single-origin coffee is our USP. We don’t do blends like you’ll find with a lot of other coffees,” says Alan.
“There’s six coffees that I roast at the moment. I have a Brazilian, an Ethiopian, a Kenyan, an Indian Monsoon and a Java from Indonesia, as well as an extra decaf coffee using Brazilian beans.
“Everyone that tries the coffees enjoys them!”
Art of coffee roasting
Alan describes coffee roasting as a “mixture of science and art.”
His visit to Winchester Coffee School three years ago for training in coffee roasting is something that he feels has stood him in good stead for running his own business.
Now, he’s been utilising his skills – as well as a few extra tricks here and there – to get the best out of his beans.
“You don’t know what the outcome of a roast is going to be like on any particular day – there are lots of different variables,” he continues.
“Coffee is affected by temperature and humidity. The beans behave differently on high humidity days compared to low humidity days.
“Doing it in a log cabin as well, which is not environmentally controlled, makes things more unpredictable.”
Room for growth
With his background in consultancy, Alan has worked with outside consultants to identify new target markets for Morningdog Coffee to expand in.
However, taking the time to ensure that his products are as good as they can be is also something that has been crucial.
“When I first started roasting coffee in Cults in 2018, nobody knew us then – it was very low key,” says Alan.
“But the key thing has been to make a decent product first and do the marketing thereafter.
“Over the next 12 months, we’ll be looking to move from direct bag sales to having more businesses like delis, cafes and garden centres selling our products on their shelves.
“We’ve also recently been involved in Opportunity North-East’s Business Accelerator Programme, which has been fantastic in opening up new avenues for us.
“We want to get Morningdog Coffee on to more people’s Instagram and Facebook pages, work on our marketing and increase awareness of the brand.
“Hopefully, more people will start to see Morningdog Coffee as time goes on.”
A round of questions with Alan Watson of Morningdog Coffee…
Favourite time of day to drink coffee?
Breakfast, of course!
If you were a drink, what would you be and why?
A pint of Guinness, because my head looks like the head of the pint.
Best coffee and biscuit pairing?
That would have to be a Brazilian Santos coffee with a brownie – or Orange Club, to be more strictly biscuit.
Most unusual coffee you’ve ever tried?
A whisky coffee.
You have to curate an Easter-themed coffee. What would it be?
You’re asking me to be very creative here! I’ll change it up a bit and make it a coffee flavoured crème egg.
Any secret tips of the coffee trade?
People sometimes ask me if they can freeze their coffee beans – and you can. But don’t put them in the fridge as it will absorb the moisture and aroma of other foods.
Latte or espresso?
Espresso every day.
If you were stuck on a desert island, what three drinks would be there with you?
Coffee, coffee, coffee. And also, an air press.
You have to serve your favourite superhero or celebrity a coffee. Who is it and what do you serve them?
I’d go for Lee Mack and I’d serve him my sumac style coffee.