Lincoln & York

LINCOLN & YORK

SPILLING THE BEANS ON THE BUSINESS OF COFFEE

powered by Inside Food & Drink

Lincoln & York is one of the largest, discreet roasters behind hundreds of coffee blends that filter into the lives of people worldwide on a daily basis. With sustain ability a central point of its business, the company is well positioned to continue stirring the pot of innovation as emerging trends fuel a billion-dollar out-of-home coffee market. Commercial Director Ross Schofield spoke to Andy Probert.

You may well ponder over your brew where coffee supplier Lincoln & York is based. As a quirky fact, the com pany is not based in either Lincoln or York!

In 1994 coffee buyer James Sweeting and coffee trader Simon Herring combined their know-how and began hand roasting coffee in a garden shed, quickly growing to become one of the region’s premier coffee suppliers to coffee shops and golf clubs.

Nearly 30 years on, their operation is centred on a 6,000 sqm facility in Brigg, a market town in North Lincolnshire lying between the cities the company was named after.

As an international private label pro ducer, Lincoln & York is one of the UK’s leading coffee roasters with more than 250 global customers, mainly within the out-of-home (food service) markets.

The company sources its coffee beans from over 40 countries, such as Brazil, Peru , Ethiopia and Sumatra. Currently, 30% of its products are exported to 15 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

“We have evolved into a leader due to our in-depth knowledge of coffee and the market,” said Commercial Director Ross Schofield. “Our commitment to quality can be seen in every element of the busi ness. It is backed by regular trips to meet our partners and to see the farms where our coffee is grown. Furthermore, back on home soil, our two in-house Q-graders

quality grade and check the coffee we buy and sell to ensure it meets the highest standards and required tasting notes.”

Sustainably focused Lincoln and York recently commissioned independent research with 2,000 adults across the UK, finding that consumers are actively seeking sustainable options when it comes to their coffee.

“Consumer shopping habits – both for the home and when exploring our vibrant out of home industry – have changed,” said Mr Schofield. “Today’s consumer is much more conscious and aware of the impact their purchasing habits have. The recent research we commissioned cements our belief that actively prioritising our sus tainability agenda is the right thing to do. Our actions include increasing the amount of certified coffee we supply, investing in innovative recyclable packaging and being a zero waste to landfill business.

“Over 80% of the coffee that we sell is certified either Organic, Fairtrade, RFA or UTZ.” “In fact, over the past three-and-ahalf years we’ve purchased over 4,000 tons of Fairtrade coffee alone, which has generated over £1.4 million in economic value to support farmers and the commu nities where we operate.”

Employing about 90 people, the company has a strong track record of re-investment and sustainability. In 2022, the company

invested in a new warehouse with 1,300 pallet spaces and ancillary offices.

“Lincoln & York uses 100% renewable electricity, and our new warehouse has an air source heat pump and solar panels, so we are producing heat efficiently and reverting to our business ethos of ‘doing the right thing’. This will help offset our carbon footprint, with a view to us being carbon neutral by 2024,” revealed Mr Schofield.

The company also seeks to remove all single-use plastics by 2024, and plans to plant 10,000 trees by 2025, to achieve its carbon-offset targets.

Flexible and strong

Producing over 9,000 tons of coffee annually, Lincoln & York has enjoyed double-digit growth every year since its founding. Even in 2021, revenues grew by more than 25% year-on-year. Now, as a business with a turnover of over £40 million per year, it is regarded as one of the UK’s largest independent roasters.

Mr Schofield added: “Being a private label specialist is the cornerstone of Lincoln & York. The secret to our success remains being a customer-centric business no matter our size, and having the ability to be incred ibly flexible, delivering what clients and their consumers want.

“We produce more than 2,000 different products annually from about 600 blends of coffee. While that shows we are a highly

complex business, it amply demonstrates our very high service levels, which enables us to have a flexible and unique approach.”

He emphasised: “During the pandemic, we doubled down on our commitments to the business. We invested in a multi-mil lion-pound market-leading packing line for specialist retail products. We now have one of the fastest coffee packing lines in Europe, extending our capabilities to offer more variations in line with retail and food service demands.”

Lincoln & York’s success was recognised when the business was awarded the top position in the Sunday Times International Track 200 awards in 2018, which ranks Britain’s mid-market private companies with the fastest growing exports

The company’s recyclable packaging has also gained national recognition, win ning the gold prize at the 2020 Packaging Innovation Awards and the Packaging Excellence Award at the Worldstar Global Packaging Awards in 2021.

Lincoln & York offers a diverse portfolio of products from coffee bags to beans, and they are one of the UK’s only producers of Easy Serve Espresso (ESE) pods available in 7g and 14g variants. The business also offers pre-made and machine-made packaging, including bags and pouches in varying colours and textures, from 7g-14g coffee bags and single-serve sachets, through to 500kg sacks.

Roasting & market expertise

Lincoln & York’s Kahawa House Roastery houses three of six Brambati coffee roasters, including a 600kg drum roaster, and nine packing lines. The custom designed equip ment enables the business to fulfil a huge range of orders, small or large.

The company is also the only UK-based roaster to have a separate self-contained on-site contingency roastery, capable of producing every single product at scaled down quantities; helping to reduce risk for its customers. Coffee is roasted using

Our commitment to quality can be seen in every element of the business

“

Commercial Director  Ross Schofield

a combination of conductive (drum) and convective (air) heat transfer. This offers maximum control over the roast profile and results in a more even roast and a fully developed flavour.

While climate change, inflation and spiralling energy prices all impact the coffee industry, Lincoln & York works hard on different levels to minimise these on clients.

“Our in-house coffee team works with clients to create new blends, variations and recipes to offer their con sumers different options,” Mr Schofield explained. “Client and supplier relations are pri marily based on trust, backed up by the deep expertise, intelligence and knowl edge. Our expert Q-graders take the best coffees to create perfectly bal anced blends.”

In the 52 weeks to June 12th, 2022, the UK out-of-home coffee market grew 59% year-on-year. Mr Schofield reflected: “It is great to see the industry growing. While it will be tough with this unprecedented inflation, Lincoln & York continues to be a partner of choice.

“We’ll continue to help customers react to changing trends, help them diversify and enable them to meet their consumers’ desires: for a better tasting quality coffee.” n