Lochboisdale is the home of fresh and aromatic blends from the sole coffee roasters in the Outer Hebrides

Abigail Taylor

Skydancer is the only speciality coffee roasting company in the Outer Hebrides

Based close to the marina at Gasaigh in Lochboisdale, husband and wife team Mike and Sarah Faint create fresh unique blends which are sold directly to customers from their shop, online, and at numerous outlets across the Western Isles.

Skydancer offers bespoke blends for restaurants and accommodation providers, with a client base that includes Harris Distillery.

Mike and Sarah named the business after the iconic hen harrier, in particular, the spectacular courtship ritual the male birds performs, which renders it a ‘Skydancer. Hen harriers, while persecuted in other parts of the country, flourish in the environment of South Uist.

Sarah explained: “When we arrived on the island in 2019 we wanted to be sure not to displace another business and we had roasted coffee on a small scale in the past. So we took some time to look around and see what else was on offer and then everything started falling into place, starting with finding our unit, which is now the base for the business, here in Lochboisdale.”

Mike added: “We have an ideal environment here for roasting coffee, far enough away from residential properties. It took some time to get set up, between purchasing equipment, sourcing suppliers and preparing the unit.”

“We were distributing samples in the run-up to launch in November 2019, which went ahead, and then as we were preparing to host a formal opening, the pandemic started and we were forced to close down five months after we started in March 2020.”

Mike and Sarah continued to trade in difficult conditions throughout 2020.

“We got some assistance from agencies like Business Gateway and amazing support from our customers and the wider community,” reflected Sarah.

“Somehow we were able to make it through the worst of COVID-19.”

Particular emphasis was placed, during the pandemic, on sales of a special blend created to support a local good cause, dementia initiative Cuimhne. Proceeds from the sale of the blend allowed Sarah and Mike to purchase and present a special remote-controlled ‘dementia clock’ to Tagsa Uibhist, which states the date, time and whether AM or PM.

Skydancer is now marketing another blend to support two charitable endeavours, hen harrier protection and the Uist and Barra Foodbank.

Mike and Sarah are proud to reuse and repurpose as much packaging as possible, as one of the few coffee roasters that use biodegradable and compostable materials to package their array of blends created using beans sourced from across the world.

“South American blends are most popular because they work well black or with a little milk and sugar and that satisfies a wide range of palettes. But a lot of the time it comes down to the manner in which coffee is roasted. We do not use an espresso machine because they are traditionally used for a lower grade of bean, roasted quite dark to compensate for their flaws.”

“We use a hand-made pour-over machine to achieve a different taste. We like to ask customers how they intend to brew their coffee as that is as important as roasting in terms of finding the right flavour,” explained Sarah.

Skydancer has now branched into producing tea, alongside coffee, with the first blends made available for Lochboisdale Food and Drink Festival. Participation in the festival held on 5th September 2021 (read more) rounded off an unpredictable summer season in 2021.

“It has not been the summer we would have expected,” explained Mike.

“It has been difficult to predict what to expect in terms of customers, given how the pandemic has continued, so to some extent, this season has been about survival.”

“In the winter we are going to sit down and reflect on what has happened and decide how to move forward. I think we may do more around food and add more space for people to sit outside the premises because we know there is a demand.”

Mike is a professional photographer with his own company, An Solas Oir. Last summer he was shortlisted in the ‘Natural world and wildlife’ section at the international Sony World Photography Awards for his striking monochrome picture of a pony snapped at Loch Skipport.