Edwin & Magda Harrison, Curious Roo Coffee Roasters

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What they drink: Filter coffee (both)
Preferred Names:  Magda Harrison and Edwin Harrison
Role(s): Business Owners
Company: Curious Roo Coffee Roasters (Wholesaler)
also: Artisan Coffee School, Artisan Coffee shops (x 5)
Company Location:  London, UK
Non-Profit: More Than A Dent

I spoke to Edwin and Magda only a few days after their record-breaking coffee delivery. You'd think after six months on the road, most of that in a van with two children, they'd need a bit of a break, but that wouldn't be terribly entrepreneurial of them, would it?

I say that tongue-in-cheek. Entrepreneurs are notoriously hard on themselves when it comes to putting in the hours and time, and suffering through self-imposed guilt trips when they manage to step away from office/computer/coffee bar/assembly line, etc.

The Harrisons stepped away (kind of) for nearly six months on an adventure doubling as a promotional opportunity. The impetus was to get themselves and their children out of their comfort zones. The result was setting a world record for the longest overland and sea coffee delivery.

From www.curiousroo.com:

In February 2026, Curious Roo founders Edwin and Magda Harrison will embark on an extraordinary overland expedition from London to Australia with their three children (ages 11, 8, and 6). Travelling entirely by van, the family will deliver a single bag of Curious Roo coffee ordered by Magda's mum in Australia-entirely by land and sea.

This symbolic delivery represents the journey from roastery to cup. The adventure will be documented and shared in real time across social media, inviting followers to experience the landscapes, cultures, and coffee rituals encountered along the way-while elevating awareness of Curious Roo as a family-run, purpose-driven coffee brand.

In the immediate aftermath of such an expedition, it is almost unfair to ask these entrepreneurs to try and distill the lessons learned from a trip they are still processing, and yet, during our chat they share some of the still coalescing thoughts that their time on the road inspired.

The Harrisons shared some photos from their journey. Scroll below for Key Takeaways from the podcast.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE PODCAST

• They divide and conquer. Edwin watches over the wholesale coffee operations and Artisan Coffee School, while Magda leads the five coffee shops. They are multi-taskers.
• They started in the coffee industry simultaneously about 14 years ago after also quitting corporate jobs together to find a better way to live. A decision only somewhat inspired by red wine. They moved to Uganda to do something more fulfilling. Their experiences there inspired them to build something of their own. It was Magda who saw coffee as an opportunity to solve a problem in London.
• The problem: rubbish coffee in their London community. The fix: start a new coffee business that lived up to the expectations Magda had from growing up in Australia.
• Of the two, Edwin had a more entrepreneurial background, and Magda more corporate. Neither had hospitality experience, making opening a coffee shop an exponentially big leap. At the time, there was fear, but being industry newcomers they weren't beholden to habits or by learned bad examples learned through experience. They were able to adapt.
• Entrepreneurship isn't only a challenge on the wallet and the body, but also on the mind and heart. There is no one else to blame when things go wrong. Starting a business means taking risks, and everyone has a different level of risk tolerance. Being partners in business and life, the Harrisons had to find the middle ground where their tolerances balanced.
• From the beginning Artisan Coffee was always intended to be a multi-coffee-shop business. And it was meant to be a business, not just a coffee lifestyle. They identified training as the key to the success of their first shops. That inspired the coffee school inside of a cafe.
  
  With Artisan Coffee School, they are able to continue and expand their training opportunities, and celebrate the learning not just with the staff but the customers who would see the care they were putting into the coffee.
  
  The further down that path they went, they realized they'd need some oomph behind the school, which is why they partnered with the SCA. They now have more than 1200 students per year taking some sort of coffee or coffee business course.
• The trip had multiple inspirations, not the least of which was wine, but also to show their children the world while also creating an opportunity to promote their business.
• The Harrison family departed for Australia on Feb 11, 2026, in a van named "Daisy." They traveled 22,000 KM (13,670 miles) over land and sea through 25 countries with two adults, two kids and one bag of coffee to deliver.
• They were reminded along the way that not all regions have advanced in specialty coffee on the same timeline, but that doesn't mean there aren't overlapping challenges facing coffee business owners. Other things they learned:
  • They realized they weren't as needed day-to-day at work as they thought they were. They have a great team. They knew that, but this experience added weight to that knowledge.
  • The six months prior to leaving really was a benefit because they did so much work to prepare the business for their absence.
  • To really test your business, you have to leave it.
  • Making coffee for someone is a built-in ice breaker.
• Their charitable efforts with More Than A Dent were inspired by the grassroots operations they worked with and saw while in Uganda. It is an effort to support one big project per year, adding another each annum in hopes that the fruits of that labor will be seen over time. The question they ask is, "Is this a project that our children will be able to visit when they are adults and see the impact of our efforts."
• If you love coffee and that's what you want to do, embrace it, but if that includes entrepreneurship, start small. You can be successful working for others if you want. But...if you have the personality traits that encourage you to take the chance on yourself, you can start small and be flexible.
• People buy into passionate people.

MORE THAN A DENT

"More Than a Dent has been established to deliver projects with a long term impact to communities in need all around the world, with one project being funded per year.

Only projects that offer long term benefit to communities are selected and then fundraised for. Measures are put in place to support the project's delivery of their objectives over the long term.

This is very much a small focused charity with a big heart. We have no office, no employees and no shortage of enthusiasm from those who buy into the idea that projects with a long term focus can positively benefit the communities around them." (www.morethanadent.org)

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