In common with many operating in the world of artisan and speciality coffee, Paddy & Scott’s have not been operating for long: they started roasting coffee in 2007 in Scott’s garage over a real flame on an old 2 kilo roaster called “Old Smokey”. In those early days it was all about having fun, creating new blends and delivering coffee from the boot of their car.
But there was and is an underlying passion and commitment to delivering high quality coffee. This passion is shared by many operators – and customers – today, and carries with it their commitment to doing the ‘right thing’:
“We were one of the first UK firms to introduce aluminium free packaging, a coffee grout recycling program, and it goes without saying we proudly continue our support of the Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade and our Bean to School Foundation; let’s just say we like to feel good about what we do.”
However, since 2007, artisan coffee has taken on a whole new meaning as consumers demand a premium experience, not just on the high street but in the work place too. Strong branding, stylish hand built coffee machines, slow roasted, small batch coffee with provenance…these are all key elements of what customers seek.
A different business model
Paddy and Scott’s has developed to the point where it now offers a range of 5 coffees plus its new ‘Gourmet Noir’, available both direct and to the trade, including hotels and restaurants across the country.
The coffees are designed to suit the time of day or occasion: the morning coffee “Wakey Wakey!” is great with croissants, the smooth drinking “Easy Days” can be enjoyed literally all day, and so on. Each coffee is also graded according to its strength: from 1 (really smooth) to 5 (really punchy).
And their coffee is now also available through no less than 50 branded cafes within the offices of big organisations – an impressive and growing operation.
Next step: they are opening two high street cafes of their own – in Bury St Edmunds and Framlingham – which will plunge them directly into the fiercely competitive retail environment.
Clients
The range of clients is impressive and provides real testimony to the quality of product and service that they provide:
- Major contract caterers such as ISS, CH & Co, Interserve
- Major organisations such as Barclays, B & Q, even City Councils
- Hotels, restaurants and cafes nationwide
- Delis and farm shops (400+)
- Supermarkets – Tesco in East Anglia
- Brewery: J W Lees, the Manchester brewery, is investing in the equipment and training to start with 11 outlets after successfully trialling in three of its pubs
However, for those clients operating a Paddy & Scott’s cafe, training is paramount: with quality so critical to customers and therefore to success, staff must be fully trained to high standards before opening for business.
Paddy & Scott’s retail outlets
The new cafes in Bury and Framlingham will take Paddy and Scott’s into new territory, but they are not approaching these ventures with unrealistic aspirations: for a start, these are not the locations for top ‘third wave’ outlets, though they are aiming higher than the major coffee chains.
Quality of coffee will be accompanied with choice of Pukka teas, as well as their own hot chocolate, and the intention is to intelligently ‘match’ their food offerings with coffee – aiming for complementary food tastes.
It will be fascinating to see how the first two outlets progress, whether expansion follows, and how the ‘front line’ knowledge gained influences the business and the development of new coffees.
The continuing difference
The UK coffee scene has developed at great pace over the last decade and more, and ranges from major high street chains to single artisan outlets – and everything in between. Similarly, suppliers range widely in size.
The growing sophistication of coffee drinkers has interesting implications for all those serving the market, and competition – including that from pub groups, which may have been slow to recognise the opportunity, but are catching on and up fast – is increasing all the time.
However, relentless attention to quality is essential to satisfy and continue to satisfy this market, which puts Paddy & Scott’s in a good position to match and grow with market expectations.
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Coffee is proudly sponsored by Kenco
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