Partner story
How Kofi&Co chose their own house blend
Kofi&Co is an independent restaurant group with two sites, one on the market place in Wetherby and one on Street Lane in Roundhay. They do breakfast through to burgers and a full bar, but coffee is the thing they'd call their USP, and they treat it that way. Ingrid has run the coffee side for three years and been in the trade a good while longer. She came over to the roastery, tasted through several blends, and picked the one that's been on the bar ever since. We now supply both sites, and the machines on both bars came from us as well.
We could have gone somewhere cheaper, but as soon as we visited the roastery, that sealed the deal.
The venue
At a glance
Business
Independent Restaurant Group
Location
Wetherby
Roundhay
Partner since
2020
Machines
La Cimbali M100
Faema E98
They Take
Coffee, Machines, Servicing
The story
The brief
Someone who knew exactly what she wanted
Ingrid is not an easy person to sell coffee to, and she'd take that as a compliment. She learned the machine side of the trade from York Coffee Emporium founder Laurence years ago, out at new sites picking it up from the bottom up, so when Kofi&Co opened she arrived with a spec rather than a wish list.
One blend, chocolatey and caramelly, with enough punch to drink as a straight double espresso and still cut through a single shot latte, extra hot. It also had to taste the same all year, whatever the market or the weather at origin was doing.
“We needed something that was banging as a double espresso, but it also had to stand up in a latte.”
The tasting
A morning at the roastery
They'd looked at the bigger suppliers first, the way you do when you're opening and every line on the spreadsheet matters. Then Ingrid came over to the roastery. She tasted several blends, all in the chocolatey, caramelly territory she'd described, and one of them did exactly what she'd asked for, punchy on its own and still there in a latte. It's the same blend on the bar at Kofi&Co today, and keeping it the same was the whole point.
“You knew exactly what we needed.”
Day to day
Same cup, whatever the market's doing
Keeping it tasting the same year after year is the job, and it's the part Ingrid talked about most. Green prices move and harvests come in short, and none of that is allowed to reach the cup, so we adjust behind the scenes and the flavour stays where they set it.
We supplied the machines at both sites, a La Cimbali M100 in Wetherby and a Faema E98 in Roundhay, and we look after them. If Ingrid's weighing up new kit or needs Rich out to look at something, she rings and it happens.
“If I need something from Rich, I know I'm going to get it.”
In her words
Consistency, trust, and quality, quality, quality.
The coffee is a USP for us. We're really passionate about it.
I think you've ticked every box.
Ingrid, Kofi&Co.
Find them
Pop in and say hello
Wetherby
61 Market Place, Wetherby, LS22 6LN
Roundhay
71 Street Lane, Leeds, LS8 1AP
Fancy coffee like this in your place?
Every partnership starts with a chat, not a contract. Tell us about your business and we'll take it from there.
No obligation and no hard sell, just honest advice over a good coffee.