Eating out involves so much more than what’s on the plate. The décor, service and buzz in a dining room has a huge impact on how much we enjoy something. And when it comes to ordering, it’s not just food – there’s the carefully considered cocktail list to get you started; an extensive wine list, curated by a dedicated sommelier and a selection of digestifs to round out the meal.

Until recently, coffee never really enjoyed the same attention. It was always on offer – but you’d rarely read about the origin or producers behind the beans. That’s starting to change, however, as more and more chefs put the same thought into their coffee as they do their wine, meat and veg.

This shift is often down to the roasters themselves. Take just one example: experimental practices like co-fermenting – where green coffee beans are fermented alongside fruits, spices or yeasts to impart extra flavour within each bean – are helping to position coffee as something you can pair with food, rather than only being served at the end of a meal.

But how does a high-end chef choose which coffee to put on their menu? Taste is, of course, the driving factor, but how the beans are sourced and roasted are important too. One of the roasteries leading the charge in restaurants and putting coffee in the spotlight is Dark Woods, found in a converted textile mill outside Huddersfield. Since 2014 it’s been really pushing the boundaries of what is known as ‘speciality’ coffee – going the extra mile when it comes to sourcing the beans for their skilled roasters.

There are hundreds (possibly thousands) of very good artisanal coffee roasters throughout the UK these days. Almost all of them will wax lyrical about their sustainability credentials, their sourcing practices and roasting processes. But what sets Dark Woods apart is its dedication to making everything as transparent as possible – from the direct relationships the team fosters with growers and farms, right through to how it gives a share of its profits to various charities and community groups. Its BCorp status – which has one of the highest scores for a coffee company in the world – proves its ethical credentials.

Of course, all this responsible sourcing, relationship-building and charity work wouldn’t be possible if the coffee wasn’t good. With well over 100 Great Taste Awards across its range (including three coveted Golden Forks) and multiple Michelin-starred restaurants (including L’Enclume, widely regarded as the best restaurant in the UK) not just using but namechecking its beans, Dark Woods must be doing something right. The beans they roast range from the familiar – full of chocolate, caramel and hazelnut notes – right through to rare, specialist and experimental batches from leftfield producers and micro farms.

A big part of why Dark Woods has such a foothold in top restaurants is also its commitment to educating the people who are brewing and serving the coffee. From which beans to choose and how to brew them like a pro right through to coffee machine setups and how different coffees can be paired with dishes on the menu, Dark Woods is committed to not just making great coffee available, but increasing the hospitality industry’s understanding of just how much work goes into every cup.

Much like high fashion, what you find in high-end restaurants often has a trickle-down effect into more casual spots and our own homes. With more and more of us owning decent espresso machines or appreciating the ritual of filter coffee, we’re going the extra mile to source beans which feel a bit special. Just like wine or a special bottle of extra-virgin olive oil, a bag of speciality coffee beans are becoming a more common sight in kitchens across the UK.

Whether it’s at home or in a Michelin-starred restaurant, we’re starting to think about coffee differently. Where the end of a menu might have just listed the different formats a non-descript coffee comes in (espresso, latte, cappuccino), nowadays it’s not unusual to find a menu name-checking the roaster, highlighting the origin of the beans and providing tasting notes – just like a wine list. Coffee is often the last thing you taste during a meal out, so it makes sense to end things on a high.