About us

At Ratdog, we roast coffee we genuinely love - and we are here to share it with you. We source beans that stand out through their variety, origin, and processing method, with a focus on rare and distinctive lots. From classic washed and natural coffees to experimental techniques, we look for flavours that are vibrant, expressive, and a little unexpected.

 

 

Ratdog is built on a deep curiosity for flavour, structure, and detail. Led by Dr Shufan Yang, whose background in molecular design and analysis informs every roast, we pursue coffees with distinctive character, clean profiles, and stories worth sharing.

 

Each coffee is roasted in small batches to preserve its unique profile and ensure flavour consistency from bag to bag. Whether you’re a seasoned coffee drinker, home barista or just exploring, we hope our coffees bring something special to your daily cup.

 

Founder - Shufan

Shufan takes 3rd place at the 2026 UK Brewers Cup Finals

 

Shufan’s journey with coffee began as a home barista in Cardiff during their MPhil degree in 2019, a quiet exploration that soon grew into a passionate pursuit. After that, while pursuing a fully-funded four year PhD in Chemistry in Edinburgh, Shufan spent countless hours wandering through coffee shops and roasters, tasting, comparing, and discovering what made certain cups memorable. Yet over time, the hunt for beans and experimentation with different brewers and grinders no longer felt enough. Shufan wanted to understand coffee from the inside out and shape the flavours exactly as imagined.

 

That curiosity led Shufan to roasting beans, turning experimentation into creation. Each new origin, estate, and plot became a landscape to explore, revealing how subtle differences in terroir could transform a cup. With a background in chemistry, Shufan could see the science behind the flavours, connecting it to the sensory experience in a way that guided every decision. 

 

This approach to coffee culminated in Shufan placing 3rd in the 2026 UK Brewers Cup, a milestone that reflected both technical precision and a deep commitment to flavour expression.

 

Beyond roasting, Shufan strives to build connections with estates and coffee farmers, hoping to contribute meaningfully to the coffee industry. Today, Shufan focuses on sourcing exceptional green beans and crafting profiles that bring out the best in each lot, combining technical knowledge, curiosity, and a love for the story each coffee tells.