Just over five years ago our lives were full of excitement, anticipation and just a little bit of fear as we realised our dream of owning our own coffee roasting business. The final pieces of the jigsaw had fallen into place and we were on the cusp of a new and exciting stage in our lives.
From a personal point of view this excitement was tempered a little as I was to remain in my full time teaching post to ensure the business had the best possible start. Angharad had the responsibility of nurturing our business through those first delicate months1. Each day I drove west along the A66 and was given a fleeting glimpse of the building that was to be our coffee Roastery. No matter how many times we passed that point, the excitement never really diminished.
A lot has happened in the intervening five years and our business has grown beyond our expectations. We’ve won awards with Best New Business and Cumbria Life’s Best Small Producer being major highlights. Our coffee is served in numerous places across the UK, we’ve taken part in the Brewers Cup as well as the UK Barista Championships, and we’ve enjoyed numerous coffee festivals. A couple of years ago Caffeine magazine ran a feature on the best micro roasteries in the UK and we found ourselves in the top 5. More recently this very blog has found its way into a top 40 list of coffee blogs2. All this has happened from the original building, which is now not really fit for purpose.
So it’s time for a move! In the next month we’ll be moving to new premises where we can continue to grow our business and provide even more support for our customers. The new premises is twice the size of our existing one and we’re currently developing the inside so it better meets our needs. As well as a much better storage for green beans, we have a larger production area which will allow for both growth and more efficient use of our time. We’ll have a dedicated workshop to service and repair espresso machines. Upstairs, as well as an office, we’ll have an improved training area which will allow us to further improve the quality and frequency of training we offer our customers. We also hope to organise special events for members of the public.
Earlier today we were driving along the A66 once more, though further east this time. For a brief moment the roof of our new premises came into view and we were filled with exactly the same excitement, anticipation and fear we experienced five years ago.
- I have to admit she did a wonderful job in those first two years, laying the foundations for where we are today. ↩
- Top 40 Coffee Blogs & Websites For Coffee Enthusiasts
