Grounded in Leeds
Everyone should meet Hols Kragiopoulos, Co-Founder and CEO of North Star, at least once in their life – it will change the way you think about coffee in an instant (and no, not that type of coffee).
With International Coffee Day falling on Wednesday 1 October 2025, and North Star being the team behind the exceptional brews served at Hyde Park Picture House, we took the opportunity to visit Hols at their Leeds roastery. Over cups of coffee (naturally), we talked about ethical sourcing, sustainability, and the importance of community – and, if coffee were an art form, what would it be?!
Written by Hols Kragiopoulos and Kelly Scotney. Filming by Ben Fletcher
Meet Hols
But first, a quick overview of North Star for context… North Star was Leeds’ first coffee roastery, founded by husband-and-wife team Alex and Holly Kragiopoulos out of a shared love of coffee and a desire to protect the people behind it. Their journey began in Kenya, where conversations with small-scale producers about the realities of Fairtrade shaped the values that guide the company today. From roasting specialty-grade beans in-house to supporting initiatives like agroforestry, North Star continues to grow as a force for positive impact, balancing profit with people and planet.
Hols is one of the most passionate, knowledgeable, and genuine people I’ve ever met. As a self-certified jack of all trades, I’m always in awe of those who specialise in one field. Hols could easily hold her own on Mastermind!
A coffee enthusiast since her university days, she was the spark that inspired her husband Alex to pursue a career in coffee. Hols began her own journey as a buyer and ethical coordinator with green importers Falcon Specialty, before qualifying as a licensed Q Grader in 2014 and later serving as an international jury member for the prestigious Cup of Excellence.
North Star at HPPH. Credit Ben Fletcher
At North Star, she has been the driving force behind their ethical procurement strategy and continues to oversee the sourcing of green coffee and relationships with producers.
Now a mum, Hols feels even more passionate about making great coffee accessible in places where people, including other parents, meet, helping them discover independent, community-focused spaces in Leeds as an alternative to the big coffee chains.
The interview (part 1)
Holly Kragiopoulos at North Star Roastery. Credit Kelly Scotney
North Star’s story is rooted in Fairtrade, sustainability, and transparency – what do you find is the easiest part of staying true to those values, and what’s the most challenging?
The easiest part is that these values aren’t something we’ve bolted on — they’re the reason North Star exists. Every decision we make runs through that lens, so it feels instinctive to stay true to them. The harder part is scaling while staying uncompromising. It can be challenging to find partners who share those values wholeheartedly and won’t ask us to dilute them. That’s why so much of our work focuses on educating and engaging consumers — because the more people understand the problem we’re trying to solve, the more support there is for doing things the right way.
If every customer could make one small change in how they buy or drink coffee, which change would have the biggest positive effect for producers?
I’d say: be willing to pay a little more and choose coffee from a roaster who prioritises long-term partnerships, able to tell you where it comes from and how that partnership is creating more resilience. Specialty coffee isn’t about exclusivity; it’s about fairness and feeling like you are part of the solution and not the problem.
Positive change in our industry all starts with the choices made by coffee consumers – so just take the time to be a little picky with who you spend your money with, and you’ll already be making an impact.
What’s a story from one of your producers that you wish every customer could hear when they order a cup?
It would have to be the story of Maria Zoila Pineda, our partner in El Salvador. When we first met her in 2019, she was producing great coffee, but without the right infrastructure, her beans were blended with her neighbours’ and sold at bulk prices. She was losing most of the value her coffee deserved, to the point she didn’t see her farm as viable and had no plan for its future. We invested $10,000 in raised drying beds, fermentation tanks, and depulpers, and the results have been transformational. Her income has tripled, her quality has improved, and her son has moved back from San Salvador to take over the farm. Every customer who chooses North Star – online, in our shop, or through our wholesale partners – has played a role in that story. That, to me, is the power of coffee done differently.
What excites you most about the coffee industry right now, and what emerging trends are on the horizon?
I’m excited by how much more curious and engaged consumers are becoming. People are going beyond having an interest in flavour profiles and are starting to ask questions about origin, processing, and sustainability in a way they simply weren’t a decade ago. That curiosity creates space for coffee to be valued through a multitude of lenses – not only the cup quality but also attributes that are important to the consumer, such as traceability, certification/impact-driven procurement etc. On the horizon, I think we’ll see high-quality coffee popping up in non-traditional outlets such as office meeting rooms/gyms etc, as opposed to just your independent coffee shop. Hopefully, this will result in a wider acceptance that coffee needs to be priced in line with the cost of sustainable production, not the commodity market.
Bags of The Dockhouse Coffee. Credit Ben Fletcher
North Star Roastery. Credit Ben Fletcher
North Star Roastery. Credit Ben Fletcher
The interview (part 2)
Running a coffee business isn’t just about drinking it! Hear Hols talk about the countless small decisions that shape the bigger picture. At North Star, that detail-driven approach is tied to an ethos of quality, sustainability, and community. We think not only about where our coffee is served, but how it reflects and contributes to Leeds’ unique coffee identity. From working with local gems like Hyde Park Picture House to finding new ways to connect with the city, we’re always seeking opportunities to celebrate and strengthen our community.
