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Article Details
Last Updated
10th of December, 2008
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October we had decided that the coffee shop was going and we needed
some premises to replace the garage in which to roast. We found a small
industrial unit, which was only 750sq ft but perfect for us. It had an
office, and a great space for the roasters. Preparatory work was once
again needed. I had to paint the floor and the cupboards, along with
attending to a multitude of the little jobs that always seem to need
attention when setting up any new space. It seemed that fitting out was
becoming a regular occurrence for me. DIY and I were certainly no
strangers.
We purchased a second roaster and spent a happy eighteen months at
that place as the business really took off, but it soon became apparent
that we were outgrowing the space. It got scarily busy at one stage
with space and capacity pushed to the limits. From nowhere our website
had just become really popular. At that point, the original site
designer, Pete, was back studying at university and unable to do any
more work with us. So, thanks to the help of a friend we upgraded the
website to something far more professional.
The big catalyst for what was going on in terms of the coffee
itself was our involvement in the Cup of Excellence program. With Cup
of Excellence, you can’t ask “Can I do that?” or simply join. It’s the
kind of thing that you just get asked to do. People in the industry saw
what we were doing, and from observing me at cuppings thought that my
palate was good enough. It was such a huge honour to be asked to go to
Nicaragua in 2005 as a judge. The day that the invitation email
arrived, I ran round and round the house at least ten times like an
excited little boy. I was unable sleep for days, and luckily for me,
Sarah was so supportive of me attending. She knew it was such a dream
come true for me.
Being asked to be part of the jury convinced me we were on the
right track. If serious people in the speciality coffee industry
thought we were doing okay, then that was good enough for me. I've
always been a little unsure that way throughout my life, worried that
we might not be good enough or that we didn't really belong.
Recognition of that magnitude always reassures me, bringing with it a
good feeling, and it doesn’t come any bigger than it did that day.
The trip to Nicaragua came at a time when the furthest I had ever
been abroad was to Spain way back in 1984, and I hadn't flown on an
aeroplane since. So, there I was, twenty-one years later embarking on a
journey to the other side of the world all on my own. I remember it so
vividly. At that point, I had not spent more than one or two nights
away from my family, and never been as far away from them in distance.
The airport has become very familiar to me over the past few years, but
back then being alone and in an unfamiliar setting, it filled me with
trepidation. I flew from Heathrow, that too was a very new experience
for me, having previously only been exposed to smaller regional
airports, to Madrid, and then to Miami before continuing to Managua,
all on my own. Connections were traumatic, and my arrival at Managua
was scary. I arrived at the airport and couldn’t see anyone from the
Cup of Excellence or anything about it. I was not sure where we were
staying. I did have a cell phone number to call, but got no answer, so
I sat on a step and just waited whilst being pestered by people who
were speaking a language that I barely understand. The airport was mad
with people bustling around everywhere. I must have been offered a taxi
forty times in the space of two minutes. It was so very unnerving.
Eventually, as someone passed me, I spotted that he had a scrunched up
piece of paper with the word “Cup” on it, so I approached him.
Fortunately, he too was in town for the Cup of Excellence, and kindly
took me to the party arranged for that evening.
The competition was wonderful. I was cupping with coffee gods;
people that I had previously only read about. Now, I was there
interacting with them. It was such a thrill and a great honour. The
coffee producers were so cool as well, and I spent the week just in awe
of wonderful people and the fantastic surroundings.
We had always used high quality beans, but being exposed to great
Cup of Excellence coffees really inspired us to push to another level.
Visiting origin and working with our growing partners was a great
experience that really focussed our direction.
Back at the roastery, the space issue was becoming untenable, so
we moved to our current premises, a 2500sq ft space, which required
another round of building work and floor laying. The extra space
enabled us to buy our third and fourth roasters.
We have just, this year, replaced the original 2kg machine and have
therefore gone full circle in terms of roasters. The unit next to ours
recently became available, so we took on the extra space and now have a
total of 5000 sq ft.
It has been a rollercoaster ride from the beginning to where we are
now, and we have met lots of very nice people along the way. I hope
that the future will bring us lots more ups and not too many downs as
our wonderful coffee journey continues. Whatever happens, we love what
we do and will always remain committed to providing world class coffees
to our customers.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about our history to date. I will try to update it periodically.
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