Modern Hospitality: Coffee Suppliers Guide 2023

COFFEE SUPPLIERS GUIDE 2023

Introduction

For coffee shop owners, choosing your coffee supplier is of course a fundamental decision for your business. But it is equally important for our readers who source on behalf of restaurants, hotels or pubs. Because ultimately, sourcing good beans and equipment is essential if you are going to delight your customers with your coffee.

The aim of this guide is to shine a light on a wide range of coffee suppliers throughout the UK, to help inform your buying decisions. When working with a coffee supplier, you’ll want to consider quality and cost,

of course, but other factors such as sustainability and reliability should inform your decision too.

Once you have shortlisted potential suppliers from this guide, feel free to ask for samples and testimonials to help inform your decision. A good supplier will be happy to help.

We hope this guide goes some way towards informing your next coffee purchasing decision. If you have any feedback on the guide, we’d love to hear from you - please feel free to email feedback@modernhospitality.co.uk

Credits Thanks

Managing Editor

Rob Gamage - rob@modernhospitality.co.uk

Content Editor

Holly Worthington - holly@modernhospitality.co.uk

Business Development Manager

Emma Mjekiqi - emma@modernhospitality.co.uk

Number 12684643).

Registered office address: 39 The Metro Centre, Tolpits Lane, Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, WD18 9SB.

Many thanks to all those companies who have contributed to this publication, helping us to compile what we hope is a useful and informative guide! Please send any comments or suggestions to rob@modernhospitality.co.uk.

How to establish and promote your coffee shop’s USP

WHAT IS A USP?

Your coffee shop’s USP is your Unique Selling Proposition, also commonly referred to as a Unique Selling Point. This is a trait or service which differentiates you from similar businesses and can form a valuable part of your marketing.

WHY DOES MY COFFEE SHOP NEED A USP?

Having a USP enables you to stand out against the competition, offering something that competitors do not. Without this, you can become easily forgotten, particularly in crowded markets.

WHY SHOULD I PROMOTE MY COFFEE SHOP’S USP?

Without promotion, nobody will know what your USP is. You could have the most incredible coffee beans on the planet, but unless you communicate this effectively, it’s not going to be noticed often. Promoting your stand-out features creates the opportunity to attract the attention of new and existing customers, making your brand more desirable. It tells customers what makes a coffee shop unique.

WHERE TO START

It all begins with understanding your stand-out features. Here are some examples of a coffee shop’s USP:

• Exceptional coffee

• Personalised experience

• Vegan alternatives

• Delicious sweet treats

• Fast service

• Exciting loyalty scheme

• Reasonable pricing

• Atmosphere

• Eco-friendly/sustainable/ethical processes

• Charitable donations

• Satisfaction guarantee

Contributor:

Holly Worthington

Holly brings a wealth of experience in both print and digital publishing and is very passionate about the hospitality industry.

What do you remember about your favourite coffee shops? Perhaps their staff remember returning customers or write customers’ names on their cups. They might give you a delicious cappuccino which is served instantly on your morning commute. There may be plenty of seating with fast wifi and laptop charging sockets. In almost every case, the features you remember them for will be their USP.

DECIDING YOUR COFFEE SHOP’S USP

Your unique selling proposition should be attractive to your customers, explaining what makes your brand special. It should also set the tone and let customers know what to expect.

These steps can set you on the right track to deciding your coffee shop’s USP:

1. List the points which make you stand out in the market, as well as the services you provide and the requirements your customers have

2. Understand competitors, looking at their branding and unique selling points. Is there an area which your competitors lack in, that you could succeed in? Perhaps you could have an aspect of the business which differentiates you, even if you have the same offering as other coffee shops

3. List the challenges your customers face and the ways you solve this problem

4. Conduct market research, asking your customers and staff what they think makes your brand unique. Is it good coffee, excellent customer service or a great instore atmosphere?

5. Use the above information you have collected to decide what your strongest USP is

COMMUNICATING YOUR COFFEE SHOP’S USP

Once you have decided, it’s time to implement this into your business,

reinforcing the messaging to customers. A USP can be presented in many ways, including:

• In your brand name

• In your coffee shop tagline

• Through website messaging and copy

• On coffee cup branding

• Through staff (e.g. wearing multicoloured aprons, or telling customers)

• In your email marketing

• On-site branding and messaging

• On social media

• Through other marketing activities

Once you have your USP decided and you know how you want to communicate your chosen messaging, it’s time to get started and make your mark on the industry. Remember to regularly review it and make sure it’s working for you.

Baristocracy Coffee Roasters

Baristocracy Coffee, helmed by Aussie roaster Alex Forsyth, has evolved over the last five years from a dream shared by Alex and his partner Kate, to a thriving small business.

Alex learnt the craft of roasting, blending and brewing coffee from his dad. He grew up helping in the family roastery and

working in their busy cafe on Sydney’s north shore. Speciality coffee is a serious business in Sydney, with consumers expecting high quality coffee and skilled baristas as standard. When Alex and Kate decided to move their growing family back to Kate’s native Newcastle upon Tyne, these early experiences informed Alex’s vision for their own business. Roasting

flavour-driven, complex coffees, carefully sourced from fairly paid farmers to the North East and beyond.

As a former World Barista Championship Judge, Alex has sampled and evaluated thousands of coffees, brewed by some of the best baristas in the industry. He brings this wealth of knowledge to his

own roasting and barista training which is offered to all wholesale customers. We are incredibly proud to work with some of the North East’s best cafes, delis, restaurants and venues and now we’re looking for wholesale partners further afield.

Our ethos at Baristocracy is to honour the ingredient. We work with ethical, innovative green coffee importers who support growers to embrace sustainable farming and processing techniques and champion disenfranchised growing

communities. We choose interesting, complex speciality-grade coffees and roast them to enhance the natural flavour. We offer on-going barista training and support so our wholesale customers can serve consistently delicious coffee to their own customers. We pride ourselves on our customer service and relationship with our wholesale partners. We’re here to support you, train your staff and make sure you have delicious coffee to serve your customers. We are very proud to

be part of a network of small businesses which stretches across the world, from small-holder farms in Ethiopia, Colombia, Rwanda, to our North Shields roastery, to your cafe.

Café du Monde

cafedumonde.co.uk | 01322 284 804 |

The Café du Monde adventure began in 1989, when it’s founder David was gifted a cafetiere and could not find the right coffee to brew with it. David enlisted his friend Mike, and they established a coffee business built on quality, trust, and innovation.

Over 30 years of adventure later, Café du Monde is a reputable supplier of Coffee,

Tea, and Hot Chocolate to the UK’s top venues sharing a passion for quality and service. In 2021, David’s son Michael took over the running of the business after Mike took his well-earned retirement and David sadly passed.

Staying true to the values engrained by its founders, Café du Monde offers the perfect blend of expert advice,

attentiveness, and years of experience, to give your business the support it needs. We Serve Better, so you Serve Better.

WHOLESALE COFFEE COFFEE MACHINES & SERVICING

BARISTA TRAINING

Change Beverages

changebeverages.co.uk

There’s nothing our Brew Boffins don’t know about coffee and tea! Versed in the art of roasting, brewing and grinding (the coffee kind), our team have been selling the stuff for years.

We’re an official Lavazza distributor and we offer hot beverage solutions to hotels, restaurants, bars, pubs, cafes, garden centres, caterers, offices and more. More than just humble suppliers, we bring knowledge, experience and passion to the table.

Our Values

Quality – We work really hard to provide a consistently high standard of customer service. We only supply products that will ensure our customers’ satisfaction and deliver what our customers’ need, when they need it.

People – We put people first because we truly value our customers. We always say please and thank you, and communicate with honesty and transparency.

Empathy – We put ourselves in our customers’ shoes so that we can truly understand their needs.

Listening – We believe that communication starts with listening and caring, which is why we listen twice as much as we talk.

Dependability – We endeavour to always deliver what we promise, as and when it’s needed so that you know you can always count on us.

It’s time for Change.

WHOLESALE COFFEE ANCILLARY FOOD & DRINK

COFFEE MACHINES & SERVICING BARISTA TRAINING

Clifton Coffee Roasters

cliftoncoffee.co.uk | 0117 9820 252 |

Founded in 2001, Clifton Coffee Roasters began its life servicing espresso equipment.

Today, we are one of Bristol’s largest speciality coffee roasters that seeks to showcase some of the world’s best coffees through sustainable sourcing relationships and an unparalleled level of customer service to our wholesale partners.

Every year we visit farmers all over the world to ensure that we invest in our direct trade relationships and ensure both

transparency and traceability throughout the whole supply chain. Our approach to coffee sourcing is at the heart of who we are as a roastery as we look to develop long lasting relationships with sustained investment in coffee farming globally.

Our industry leading training facility offers a range of SCA courses alongside the courses that we offer for free to our wholesale customers. This allows us to work with our customers to improve their standard of coffee production and do justice to our delicious coffee offering.

We are proud suppliers of some of the world’s leading equipment manufacturers including La Marzocco, Modbar, Mahlkönig, Marco, Fetco & Hario. We work closely with all of these suppliers and offer full technical support through our large team of on the road technicians.

We are an all-encompassing single solution roastery who aims to build long lasting relationships with our customers. For any enquiries please contact wholesale@cliftoncoffee.co.uk.

WHOLESALE COFFEE ANCILLARY FOOD & DRINK

COFFEE MACHINES & SERVICING BARISTA TRAINING

Colco Coffee

Our story began in a farm in Salazar, Norte de Santander, Colombia with Don Jose and remains a family business sourcing and roasting some of the world’s finest coffees.

Our Master roaster Angela (Don Jose’s Daughter) grew up on the plantation and fell in love with Coffee at a very early age. Angela would often follow her father around the plantation and help where she

could. It was here where she learnt the importance of each bean and crop which has helped us source the finest quality coffee to this day.

After a visit to Colombia with her son Joe Colco Coffee was born as an avenue to regenerate our family Coffee Farm in Salazar, Colombia as well as investing in the local community to help future farmers.

Colco Coffee is currently run by Angela & her son Joe along with a great team of support staff & trusted supply chain. Angela continues to look after the coffee roaster while Joe runs the day-to-day operations and is looking at the future of Colco Coffee.

WHOLESALE COFFEE

Colombia Coffee Roasters

colombiacoffeeroasters.co.uk |

We are speciality, single-origin coffee roasters born and based in Oxford. We are part of a generation of coffee growers in Colombia with a strong focus on delivering high-quality coffee and education, whilst supporting Fair Trade conditions to ensure our coffee is sustainable and ethical.

From tree to cup, we know what we are sourcing, roasting and brewing.

Our 100% Arabica Coffee comes from our family farm as well as small neighbouring coffee farms which are located at high altitude in Colombia. Having a direct

relationship with our farmers guarantees the quality of the coffee we receive. In-house roasting then ensures the freshness of our coffee. Last but not least, our highly skilled baristas put the final touch of magic to share the journey of coffee love in every cup.

WHOLESALE COFFEE ANCILLARY FOOD & DRINK

John Farrer & Co Tea & Coffee Merchants

Farrer’s is a Lake District institution, they’ve been about for a while, well to be precise over 200 years founded in 1819… making it the UK’s oldest coffee roastery.

Today this pioneering coffee roastery now produces over 50 blends and single origin coffees, using only the finest beans, all responsibly sourced from around the

world. They take a great deal of time and care to locate the beans they roast, responsibly sourcing from single farms and small estates in countries from Ethiopia to Costa Rica and everywhere in between, to ensure that their customers get the very best quality coffee available to deliver the perfect brew every time.

You can’t learn what the Farrer’s team know about coffee overnight, it takes time to develop the skills you need to create the very best coffees and they’ve got bags of experience at doing that. After all they have their very own team of coffee aficionados, three dedicated roasters, with over 60 years of specialist roasting knowledge between them.

If it’s wholesale coffee you’re looking for, then Farrer’s are the people to talk to, creating freshly roasted coffee on a daily basis at their dedicated roastery in the Lakes, available in a variety of formats, delivered direct to your business.

Or if you’re looking for the latest coffee equipment for your business Farrer’s can provide a one stop shop, stocking the latest machines and gadgets from reputable brands supplying everything from traditional espresso machines, bean

to cup, bulk / drip filter brewing, nitro coffee and cold brew, as well as a whole range of other coffee and tea brewing equipment – all fully supported by our expert after sales and service support team.

You can also place your Farrer’s order online so you can stock up with coffee or tea via their e-shop 24/7.

Girls Who Grind Coffee

We are a womxn-led, anti-patriarchy specialty coffee roastery and rebellion movement. We source all our coffees exclusively from change-making womxn producers. We celebrate their work and share their stories, ensuring representation and visibility and roast their crazy delicious coffee.

It’s no secret that the coffee supply chain is a male-dominated one. But did you know that at least 70% of the work that goes into producing coffee is carried out by women? Fact.

They are the pickers, sorters, the labourers. They are rarely the decision makers or the business owners and we seldom hear about the amazing hard work these women do. We think it’s about time things changed!

From day dot we have tried to tackle this issue head-on, making championing and celebrating these incredible women and their stories our core priority.

We do this by sourcing our coffees specifically and exclusively from women

producers, seeking out those coffees that are creating positive change through the empowerment of women.

BARISTA TRAINING

WHOLESALE COFFEE

Origin Coffee

origincoffee.co.uk | 01326 574337 |

Our story begins over 15 years ago. Founded in 2004 by Tom Sobey, Origin Coffee is an independently owned speciality coffee roaster that is bound by one central ethos; to source exceptional coffee through a sustainable, triple bottom line approach.

Tom’s always been involved in the industry, working closely for his father’s coffee business growing up. But it wasn’t until he experienced Australia’s progressive coffee culture first-hand

during a trip in the early 2000’s, that the idea for Origin was born. Now, with a team full of coffee professionals, a world-class coffee program, 6 coffee shops and an ever-evolving product range, Origin sits proudly as one of the longest standing speciality coffee roasters on UK shores.

Our approach to coffee sourcing is through direct trade, a philosophy and ethical practice true to speciality coffee.

Through our direct trade practice we’re able to support our farm and mill partners directly, giving our drinkers full traceability of the coffee in their cup. Wherever possible we visit the farmers or mill representatives each year - in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Colombia, Brazil - we ask questions and we listen. To the farmers, to the workers, and to their families. Our partners are committed to environmentally and socially sustainable practices. Our coffee program is one of the cornerstones of our B Corp certification.

WHOLESALE COFFEE

COFFEE MACHINES & SERVICING

Roasting Plant Coffee

roastingplant.co.uk |

We are Roasting Plant a bunch of coffee lovers from the lower Eastside NYC who set out to create the best tasting cup. From our humble beginnings in a garage we developed Javabot our immersive roastery-cafe experience where you can

choose any just-roasted bean and we’ll grind and make your coffee to order. We’re a diverse group of people always innovating and trying to make things better.

Join us in heralding the end of stale coffee. Just Roasted. Just Brewed. Just for You.

WHOLESALE COFFEE ANCILLARY FOOD & DRINK

Three Ridings Coffee

Who We Are

We’re Yorkshire folk with a passion for all things coffee.

We set out with a simple goal - to supply products that we love, to people who are as passionate about them as we are.

Our coffee is roasted in Yorkshire and meticulously taste-tested and developed at our retail and demo store named mlkwood, sited in the historic Old Town of Bridlington.

We’re big believers in telling the stories of our coffees - where they’re grown, harvested, processed, and of course, how they come to produce the final drink that we all know and love. For this reason, our coffee range carries themes inspired by literature and storytelling.

Our retail coffees are packed in 100% reusable and recyclable glass bottles, each bottle comes with a recyclable card with a short description of what to expect when it’s brewed.

Our Service

When you buy coffee from us, you get more than just coffee - you get our team. We pride ourselves on working alongside our customers from day one, whether that be training baristas, developing new seasonal drinks or help when choosing new coffee machines and grinders

BARISTA TRAINING

Volcano Coffee Works

Volcano Coffee Works has been leading the specialty coffee evolution since 2010.

Founded in South London, Volcano’s vision of promoting specialty and ethical coffee to the world is now contributed to by 30 passionate people and over 500 wholesale partners. Today we lead the specialty coffee industry in ethics, environmental conservation and customer support.

Becoming carbon neutral means we are actively supporting carbon positive initiatives to offset our business carbon footprint. As part of this process, we will be sharing our CO2 tonnage (so you can see how we are making progress), publishing our list of Carbon Neutral Suppliers, and working to reduce the carbon we produce

from our operations bit by bit.

We are proud to be a Certified B Corporation®. We are among a global network of over 3,000 brilliant businesses with a unified mission to use business as a force for good: for people and the planet. Achieving the certification was a huge milestone for us and a confirmation of all the hard work we have been putting in to be a better business. As part of the process, we have renewed our commitments within the areas of ethical practices, sustainability and people and community.

We have created a portfolio of award winning specialty coffees, always with baristas and operators in mind. Our

coffees are accessible, easy to work with (with great training, which we host in our beautiful Brixton roastery), and most importantly – consistent and delicious. We have seen incredible success with our coffees, such as Mount and Firehouse, across many different sectors - from small cafés to large operations in train stations to fine dining restaurants and more. We offer reliable service when it comes to training, technical and ordering, and we work in partnership with our customers to maximise their coffee revenues and most importantly, master the quality of coffee they serve day to day.

WHOLESALE COFFEE BARISTA TRAINING

Modern Hospitality’s mission is to provide hospitality business owners with a wide range of useful and informative resources to help them grow their businesses.