Brighton residents fuming over Trading Post coffee shop 'stench'

Every morning, the coffee roaster at Trading Post in Sydney Street, Brighton, fires up and before long coffee fumes are being spewed out of a chimney.

For those living behind the store, in Tidy Street, the burnt smell makes their life a misery as it fills their gardens and homes.

"And it is not the deep, mellow notes that everybody enjoys," said nearby resident Paul Latham.

"We've been suffering for years. It is pungent and overpowering, and if you are not feeling even 100 per cent and that smell hits you, it is not nice."

His father, who has dementia, regularly stays in Paul's home - and he says the smell only exacerbates the condition.

The rear chimney is a new addition (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

Residents set up a petition in 2022 to encourage the council's environmental health department to take action.

The council responded and said the roastery has taken action to stop the stench - but some fumes still made it through.

Headhunter Zoe Robinson, 57, has lived in the street for six years. She added: "We all love living here. But the smell puts a dampener on things. If I have my windows open, the smell gets in the house.

"I have people in my garden that I entertain a lot and they say it stinks. They just should not be roasting in this area and that smell should not be happening."

Trading Post not only makes the coffee for its own stores here, but also serves as a supplier for other businesses in the region. It advertises a full range of services including consultation, training and supplies on its website.

The coffee can be smelt through open windows (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

Neighbour Mark Erickson, a university lecturer, says the earthy smoke - which he said he can see drifting past his windows at times - is out of place for the area.

"This is a massive industrial operation," the 60-year-old said. "It is not like I could start a petrochemical works in my back garden."

The Argus understands the roastery was given a 12pm curfew and has installed equipment to help manage the smell - including a silencer and longer flue at the rear so the smell rises above nearby homes.

The coffee shop's bosses have now said that it has managed to secure a property away from the city centre to do the majority of its roasting, with plans to start the move soon.

Mark believes the roasting needs to move out of the city (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

A spokeswoman for Trading Post said: "Working and living in harmony within our local community is very important to us. 

"For the past 12 months we have been searching for a premises to relocate the majority of roasting to and have recently been able to secure a property outside of the city centre.

"Plans are in place to begin the move in a matter of weeks and we have begun communicating this to some of the local residents.

The roaster takes centre-stage inside the shop (Image: The Argus)

"The live open-plan roasting at Sydney Street is a much-loved experience by our customers who are eager to learn more about the coffee, and how the coffee they drink is roasted right here in Brighton.

"We will only offer this immersive customer experience on a reduced scale and before midday on select days.

"We have also invested at considerable cost, in replacing the current coffee roaster in Sydney Street to a shop roaster with reduced capacity, that will be installed in due course.”