Does it cost anything to register a food business?

No. Registration with your local authority is free.

Can I be refused registration?

No, registration cannot be refused. Inspectors can still take action if premises or practices are unsafe.

Do I need to register if I only sell coffee wholesale?

Yes. Any business that makes, packs or sells food needs to register, whether it sells to consumers or to other businesses.

Will my roastery get a food hygiene rating?

If you sell direct to consumers it may be rated. Business-to-business suppliers are generally not rated but are still inspected.

Registering a coffee roastery as a food business

Registration is free and quick, but it has to happen at least 28 days before you trade. Here is the process, what the first inspection looks at, and how the hygiene rating applies to a roastery.

6 min read Updated October 9, 2026

Roasted coffee is food, so a roastery is a food business. In the UK, food businesses must register with the local authority for the area where their premises are. Registration is free and cannot be refused, but trading without it is an offense.

When to register

The Food Standards Agency says to register at least 28 days before you start trading. If you are already trading without registering, register now. You also need to register if you roast at home, run a market stall from a separate base, or change the activity at existing premises.

How to register, step by step

Find your local authority through the GOV.UK food business registration service, using the postcode of the premises.
Complete the online form: business name, premises address, the operator's details, the type of activity (manufacturing or packing food, plus retail if you sell direct), the date you will start and your water supply.
Describe the activity plainly: roasting, packing and selling roasted coffee beans and ground coffee, wholesale and retail, with or without drinks served on site.
Keep the confirmation. The authority may contact you to arrange an inspection.
Write your food safety management system and have your records ready before the first inspection.
Tell the authority if anything changes: new premises, a new operator, a cafe added, or a change in activity.

What the first inspection looks at

An environmental health officer (or food safety officer) will visit, usually unannounced. For a roastery they typically look at:

Your written food safety management system based on HACCP principles, and whether you follow it. See HACCP for coffee roasters.
Structure and cleanliness: surfaces that can be cleaned, pest-proofing, a handwash basin with hot water, safe storage of green coffee off the floor.
Foreign body controls: how you remove stones and metal from green coffee, how you check packed product.
Traceability: can you tell which green lot went into which batch and to which customer? See traceability.
Labeling and allergen information, especially for flavored coffee.
Staff training and supervision appropriate to their work.

Hygiene ratings

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the Food Hygiene Information Scheme in Scotland, rate businesses that supply food to consumers. A roastery that sells to the public, from a shop, a cafe or online, may be rated and published. Businesses that only supply other businesses are generally not rated, though they are still inspected. Display of the rating sticker is a legal requirement in Wales and Northern Ireland; in England it is encouraged.

Home roasting

You can register a home as food premises. The same hygiene law applies: a kitchen or outbuilding must be suitable, kept clean, and the roaster's smoke must not cause a nuisance. Check your mortgage, tenancy and home insurance before you start.

Other registrations at the same time

Registrations that often come up

HMRC: Self Assessment as a sole trader, or a company with Companies House and Corporation Tax
VAT: compulsory once taxable turnover passes the registration threshold (£90,000 from 1 April 2024); voluntary earlier
Employer: register with HMRC as an employer before your first payday
Organic: if you will describe coffee as organic, the business must be certified by an approved organic control body
Packaging: check whether the packaging extended producer responsibility rules apply as you grow

Where Roastnet helps

Questions roasters ask

Does it cost anything to register a food business?: No. Registration with your local authority is free.
Can I be refused registration?: No, registration cannot be refused. Inspectors can still take action if premises or practices are unsafe.
Do I need to register if I only sell coffee wholesale?: Yes. Any business that makes, packs or sells food needs to register, whether it sells to consumers or to other businesses.
Will my roastery get a food hygiene rating?: If you sell direct to consumers it may be rated. Business-to-business suppliers are generally not rated but are still inspected.

Official sources

Rules change. These sources were checked on October 9, 2026; always confirm the current position with the body that publishes them before you act.