[New] Raising a cup to new North Warwickshire business

A former senior commercial figure at professional sports clubs in the Midlands has swapped kit launches for coffee beans after launching a new business.

Justin Tose has held senior roles at Coventry City Football Club, Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and Leicestershire Country Cricket Club over the past 15 years but decided he wanted a change at the start of 2022.

Justin, who lives in Polesworth, North Warwickshire, decided to launch a mobile coffee van serving barista coffee, speciality teas and hot chocolate and approached the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce for support.

He was originally looking for funding but was offered one-to-one support with business advisor John Fitzgerald, which has proved to be instrumental in helping to get the new venture – JustinTime Coffee Co. – off the ground.

The support delivered by the Chamber, on behalf of Warwickshire County Council, forms part of the CW Business: Start, Grow and Scale programme which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Warwickshire County Council and all five district and borough councils.

Justin said: “I decided it was time for a change and I’d always wanted to start my own business.

“I called the Chamber to see if they could help. I was assigned a business advisor, John Fitzgerald, and that help has been invaluable.

“He worked through the whole business with me – from planning the idea through to branding – and was always a brilliant sounding board.”

JustinTime Coffee Co. can be seen regularly at Warwick Market, Lichfield Market and other one-off events across the region. Justin is also on the hunt for a more permanent pitch during the week.

He added: “The business is based on everything being very high quality – I source my beans from Iron & Fire in Shropshire and all my cups are fully recyclable.”

John Fitzgerald said: “My aim is to really inspire someone who is starting their own venture and to think of all the possibilities that are open to them. I am also there to make sure that they understand the levels of hard work it is going to take to achieve their dream.”

Warwickshire County Council portfolio holder for economy & place, Cllr Martin Watson said: “It is always great to see a small business, created and driven by the passion and expertise of an individual like Justin, start up and flourish.”