We are Steve and Levi, a husband and wife with a crazy obsession for coffee. Our coffee journey began many years ago when we quit our jobs, packed up our bags and decided to travel. After only months of dating we took the plunge and left the UK.

The majority of our time was spent living in the beautiful city of Melbourne, Australia. If you know Melbourne, then you can understand and appreciate the coffee culture that has emerged from this glorious place. Melbourne is full of character and is home to some of the best specialty coffee roasters and coffee shops around the world. It is here you can walk the quirky, graffiti filled streets and tiny cobbled alleyways to discover amazing independent coffee shops. 

We fell in love with the coffee in Australia and would often spend our days searching for new coffee shops to try out. Whilst travelling over the years we have experienced coffee in many countries such as Vietnam, Norway, Australia, Thailand and Turkey (Among many more!). Norway is the 4th largest coffee consumer in the world and known for their tradition coffee drink Kokekaffe and Vietnam are known for their sweet drip coffee that is made over condensed milk. We have always loved to hunt down old and new coffee shops wherever we go and take time to understand the history behind their coffee culture.

On our return to the UK, we had noticed the passion and knowledge for coffee just wasn’t the same of that we had been used to whilst living in Australia. We missed it so much we even had coffee beans sent over from Australia! 

Coffee is a science, it’s an art and there is so much behind crafting that perfect cup of coffee! From the hard-working farmers, the suppliers, the roasters, the baristas and all those in-between…coffee is a process to be appreciated, because coffee definitely isn’t just coffee!

We started our business because we wanted to help educate people on specialty coffee and to bring that same experience we had that day we entered Australia.

We started Naughty Monkey coffee in 2022. We wanted something different, something unique and something we could relate back to our little boy. We began brainstorming ideas for the business name and after joking about calling it ‘Naughty Monkey Coffee’, we realised it fits perfectly for us and our vision. Our knowledge began in Australia when we did our first barista training, we continued to study lots over the years then enrolled in a roasting course prior to starting our business.

We started by keeping costs to a minimum as we also have other jobs (Steve owning his own business and Myself, being a nurse). Steve oversees coffee stock, coffee roasting and packing orders and Myself, I am responsible for the website and designing of the logo and packaging etc

Since starting our business, we have taken part in large events such as The Tendring Show and the Suffolk Show plus many other events including farmers markets and food and drink festivals. We have received an award from The Essex Small Business Awards and we have also been accepted to exhibit at The London Coffee Festival 2025.

We continue to push our business to become more successful, plus we have lots of exciting things we are working hard on behind the scenes! So, make sure to follow us on our socials to keep up to date!