Founded in Dundee in 1884 by trader and shipper James Aimer, this private-label manufacturer has blended, roasted and packed coffee and tea from Faraday Street for over 125 years, supplying catering and trade customers across the UK and Europe through Fair Trade sourcing.
Best for Private-label coffee and tea manufacturer trading in Dundee since 1884, blending
Aimers, trading as James Aimer Ltd, was founded in Dundee in 1884 by trader and shipper James Aimer and has run continuously from the city for well over a century since - the company itself dates its current operation to more than 125 years of blending, roasting and packing coffee and tea. Today the business runs from Faraday Street in Dundee as a private-label manufacturer, supplying its own coffee and tea blends and packaging solutions to catering businesses and trade customers across the UK and Europe rather than selling primarily to walk-in retail. Fair Trade sourcing sits at the center of its supply chain, and the company is listed as a supplier through the Scottish Fair Trade movement, tracing its beans and leaf through to the finished, packed product for the businesses it supplies. It is a working roastery and blending house first, built for the trade side of the coffee and tea business rather than a cafe counter - closer in kind to a regional supplier that other cafes, hotels and caterers put their own name on than to a retail tea shop, with more than 140 years of continuous operation from the same city behind it.
Dundee Ceramics Workshop is an open-access ceramics studio welcoming everyone from complete beginners to practising artists. It offers classes, membership studio space, kiln hire and events across an open-plan workshop in the city.
Best for Pottery classes, studio access and kiln hire
Knit Shop is a Scottish knitwear venture based in Dundee, a city built on jute and textiles that once employed tens of thousands across its spinning and weaving mills. The business makes and sells knitted goods, placing its work within that continuing Dundee textile tradition.
Best for Dundee-made knitwear rooted in the city's textile heritage
The Dundee Gin Company distils small-batch spirits including its Classic Dry Gin, a Navy Strength gin and a Spiced Marmalade Rum that nods to the city's marmalade history. Botanicals are sourced locally, including from the University of Dundee Botanic Garden, and the range is vegan and gluten free.
Verdant produces gin, rum and vodka in Dundee, with botanical blends the makers say draw on the trading routes once sailed to and from the city. The range spans a Dry Gin and Pink Gin along with flavoured chocolate and toffee vodkas, sold through the company's own online shop.