It’s alright Cup North

At the beginning of this month we took our team over to Manchester for the first ever Cup North event; a two day coffee festival established to showcase the best our industry has to offer.

This coffee spectacular is the first substantial event of its size in the UK outside of London and promised to be a ‘Northern Coffee Party’- something it most certainly delivered!

Organised and executed by the coffee community of Manchester, the event provides a platform for people to enjoy some of the world’s best coffees from some of the country’s most distinguished artisan roasters.

We were in our element with cupping sessions, live demonstrations, talks, espresso tastings (the best bit) and lots more. Other aspects of the industry weren’t forgotten either with tea and chocolate merchants, independent street food vendors and brewers also getting in on the action. We were like kids in a sweetshop.

On the visiting side of an exhibition for a change, we were given an insight into some remarkable new products, experienced some more ‘adventurous’ drinks (think cold brews and coffee cocktails) and caught up with industry friends old and new.

As a team, an occasion like this is always a great opportunity to make a few notes, take away some ideas and think about ways in which we might develop our own product and improve our service.

A sickening cliché it might be, but more often than not it’s the people who make events like this. The coffee was great (god knows we love our coffee), but this time it was a secondary, a fuel that powered inspiring and stimulating discussion. Maybe we drank too much fuel?

There was a clear buzz surrounding the event (as you can imagine with that amount of caffeine in the vicinity) and people are still talking about it now.

All in all it was a fantastic showcase of speciality coffee, highlighting the growth of the industry outside of London and demonstrating the sheer quality we have up north. Something we’re reet proud of!

See you there next year?

If you want to learn more about Cup North you can visit their website at cupnorth.co.uk.