What son can brew father can brew too

Iain Birse (50) did his best to go one better than son Davide, but he too finished second in the Scottish Aeropress Championships in Edinburgh last month.

He said: “I only wanted to beat him.”

Iain, from Stoneywood, Denny, has been in the coffee roasting business for a decade and has his own firm Roast Central, which has recently moved from supplying retail outlets to catering for trade, with contracts in Edinburgh.

Having spent his early career in the telecoms industry, he now works hard to bring great tasting and accessible coffee to the masses.

His creations are currently consumed and enjoyed in Falkirk at the Acoustic Cafe, in Melville Lane.

According to Davide, his dad is not normally a competitive person, but the drive to be the best brewer in the family proved too great an incentive, so he put his skills up against some of the best baristas in the business.

Iain, who used to work at Coffee on Wooer, said: “The competitors all start off with the same coffee, so it’s a level playing field. From that starting point you have to brew the best coffee you can.”

Just like Davide the year before, Iain impressed the judges to make it into the final six out of 36 entrants and was actually pipped at the post by his friend, James Aitken of Dear Green Coffee Roaster.