Foodful Features: Coffee & Kin Revisited

A lot has changed since we last spoke with Ruth from Coffee & Kin over 2 ½ years ago. What was a family affair producing ethical coffee has become a strong husband & wife team passionate about coffee, the planet & mental health. We caught up with Ruth, co-founder & owner at Coffee & Kin to find out more about their journey & future plans.

What has been happening with Coffee & Kin over the past 18 months of lockdown?

I am so grateful, because we’ve actually grown over the past 18 months. Lots of people drank a lot of coffee during lockdown (including me) and we’ve also found that more and more people are looking to support small, independent and ethical businesses, which is great for Coffee & Kin.

Behind the scenes, we’ve been creating our new Decaf coffee capsule, which will be ready soon and we’re also launching a brand new Coffee & Chocolate Club, which will showcase the finest coffee roasters and chocolatiers from around the U.K.

Coffee & Kin has made a name for itself with its ethos of BREW GOOD. DO GOOD. FEEL GOOD. especially in regards to mental health & sustainability. Is this something that was important at the start of the business that has developed over time – or is it something that has occurred as you’ve become part of the coffee community?

It’s a little bit of both. I’ve always been passionate about mental health as I suffered from post natal depression when I had my twin girls and I didn’t tell anyone about it. Feeling depressed is just the most awful feeling in the world and I want to do my bit to try and help more people smile.

Right from the beginning, I wanted to ensure that our coffee was as sustainable as possible. However, I have also learnt an incredible amount about the environment, plastic, our carbon footprint, recycling, composting etc. and our sustainability plan is evolving and improving day by day. I’ll be honest, it’s all been a huge learning curve. But, where there’s a will, there’s a way and we are committed to doing our best to help our people and our planet.

Tell us about your compostable coffee pods. Are your customers more inclined to purchase the pods or whole beans? Why do you think coffee pods are so popular?

Most of our customers buy our compostable coffee capsules. Customers come to us because they’re looking for an eco-friendlier option and also because they want to support a small business. I think they stay with us because they love the taste and because we try and offer a friendly and personalised service.

I also include a handwritten note with every order and I really do count our customers as part of our family – we call it The Kinship.

How do you enjoy your coffee?

So it all depends on the time of day. In the morning, I have a double shot with hot water and oat milk. During the day, I tend to drink smaller coffees and my favourite coffee has always been a flat white.

But I also like an espresso, iced coffee, cappuccino and espresso martini! If it’s got coffee in it, I love it!

Where can people find your coffee?

You can buy all of our coffee online on our website and we’re also stocked in a few small retailers around Northumberland, including Foodful so please go and support them!

What is the next step for Coffee & Kin?

Worldwide domination – I wish!

Seriously though, we do want to continue to grow and get our coffee into more homes around the U.K and beyond. We want more people to fall in love with Coffee & Kin, we want to make more people smile and we want to do more good in the world.

Hat Tip to the Producers

Many thanks to Ruth from Coffee & Kin for her time & sending across the lovely pictures. If you are interested in their products, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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