Cafe Community

FAST SUCCESS

Congratulations to Origin Coffee, which has become the only UK specialty coffee roaster to make the FEBE Growth 100 list, which celebrates the fastest-growing private companies in the UK. To make the FEBE (For Entrepreneurs, by Entrepreneurs) list, businesses must generate sales of between £3m and £200m annually, have been trading for at least three years and turned an operating profit in the last financial year. The Cornwall-based business was praised for its strong performance amid a challenging trading environment. Porthleven-based Origin was founded in 2004 and obtained B Corp status in July 2020. It sources and roasts specialty-grade coffee that it sells wholesale, direct to consumer and in a six-strong cafe network, and is the only coffee roastery to make the list – just one of two coffee businesses, alongside Northern Ireland-based coffee chain Bob & Berts.

MILL ROASTERY

A former mill in Suffolk has been transformed into a coffee roastery and cafe by Norfolk coffee company, Etude Coffee. The old mill in Wainford, just outside of Bungay, sits on the bank of the River Waveney and took just ten days to build back in 1958. Owners of the building, brothers Alex and Toby Hammond, bought the premises in 2016 and have collaborated with Amir Montazer, the founder of Etude Coffee, to launch their coffee-based venture.

Doors to the cafe, named The Silo, opened in early July, and the owners hope it will become a hub for the local community. Alex says, “Everyone who knows the three bridges in the town knows this building, so we hope it can become a place for the community to come and enjoy. We have kept as much of the originality and authenticity of the structure as possible, while sympathetically modernising it for the new chapter. With Amir on board serving the coffee he roasts to the highest quality, which will be the anchor of the site, it is a wonderful project breathing new life into the old building.”

etude.coffee

TOP TWENTY

Nottingham-based coffee roaster and cafe chain, 200 Degrees, has opened its 20th UK store this summer. The coffee shop in West Bridgford, Nottingham, is one of several venues the company plans to open in the coming years. Managing director Stephen Fern says 200 Degrees aims to open approximately five stores annually for the next few years.

“When growing our footprint in our home city, it really was a no-brainer to look for opportunities in West Bridgford,” he explains. “It’s close to our roastery on Meadow Lane, it’s home to our co-founders, and we know we already have lots of supporters in the area – mainly because they’ve been suggesting we open there for quite some time.”

The company reported a 12 per cent increase in first quarter like-for-like sales and has outlined plans for further outlet growth in 2023.

200degs.com