Foodful Features: Coffee & Kin

Coffee & Kin, based in Alnwick, is an ethical coffee and tea company. The company is run by 2 sisters and their Australian husbands. Inspired by world-renowned coffee culture in Australia, where coffee is part of life not just morning fuel, Coffee & Kin have been winning over the British public with this mindset. The company allows us to enjoy barista-style coffee in the comfort of our own homes.

Whether you use coffee pods, coffee beans or prefer a bari cuppa, Coffee & Kin’s products offer not only quality but also sustainability and compassion with their products. With every product sold, Coffee & Kin donate to their Coffee & Kin foundation which aims to support coffee-growing communities around the world.

More recently, Coffee & Kin have launched new subscriptions including coffee and chocolate box and the Great British Roast box. The Great British Roast box features 2 coffees from coffee roasters across the UK. The coffee and chocolate subscription showcases artisan chocolates made in the UK, it is different every month and is accompanied by Coffee & Kin’s coffee and you choose whether you prefer coffee pods or ground coffee.

How did your business begin? Can you tell us your history/origin story?

It all began in a coffee shop in Adelaide, Australia. My brother-in-law gave me my first cup of speciality coffee and I was blown away by its flavour.

I fell madly in love with good quality speciality coffee and the whole coffee shop experience. It’s such a great place to spend time with friends and family and chat about anything and everything.

My love for great tasting coffee grew and we bought a Nespresso® machine for home as I just didn’t want to drink instant coffee anymore. Although I loved my machine, I soon started feeling guilty about using plastic and aluminium coffee pods. There was so much in the papers about single-use plastics and the harm they’re doing to our environment so I knew I needed to change my coffee drinking habit.

The problem was that I loved the convenience of coffee pods. They give you a great tasting coffee without any of the mess. It’s a win-win scenario for busy people! I researched the market and I couldn’t find an eco-friendly option so we decided to create our own and so the idea for Coffee & Kin was born.

What values are at the heart of your business?

We want to put as many smiles on people’s faces as possible through our range of products.

We believe that everyone can recreate the coffee shop experience at home.

Our mission is BREW GOOD. DO GOOD. FEEL GOOD. and we donate a % of our sales to The Blurt Foundation – helping young people and adults affected by depression in the U.K.

We’re all about coffee, quality, taste and being ethical and kind to people and our environment. We really want people to fall in love with the Coffee & Kin brand.

What does your product range include?

We sell compostable Nespresso® compatible coffee capsules, freshly roasted coffee beans and loose-leaf tea bags. You can make a one-off purchase or sign up to our monthly subscription service.

We also have a monthly Coffee & Chocolate Box, which features our coffee (you can choose ground, whole beans or capsules) and a selection of chocolate from a different independent chocolatier each month.

Finally, we recently launched The Great British Roast – a monthly coffee bean subscription featuring two different coffees from two of the U.K.’s finest coffee roasters.

Where can people buy your products?

You can buy all of our products on our website.

Our tea is available at Ruby Tuesday and our coffee is at Real Fitness which are both in Alnwick. Breamish Valley Cottages use our compostable coffee pods in their holiday cottages too.

How can your customers enjoy your product at its best?

We have brewing guides on our website, which tell you how to achieve the best flavour from your coffee.

We encourage everyone to give themselves at least 10 minutes of ‘me-time’ a day as we’re all so busy and don’t find enough time for ourselves. Taking a break and having a coffee is the best way to do this. We believe that our coffee is best enjoyed at the kitchen table, with a friend, or on a comfortable sofa with a good book!

How are you involved in the local food/drink producer community?

We really want to branch into the local retail community and hopefully, plan to make ourselves more visible in 2019.

Why do you think people should shop locally?

We’re great believers in supporting small businesses. It’s tough starting your own business and I would far rather support a local business and their products than a big global brand. To be honest, you’re also more likely to get a fresher tasting product that way too!

What is your favourite local food or drink?

We are blessed with so many amazing food and drink providers in Northumberland. I love them all!

How could Foodful help promote your business?

As with every business, we need more sales so if you have any advice on helping us to find more customers, then I’d love to hear it!

Also, if you have any contacts with local retailers that might be interested in stocking our coffee capsules, let me know!

Hat-tip to the Producers

Thank you to Ruth of Coffee & Kin for her time answering these questions for the Foodful feature. If you’re after coffee with a conscience sign up to a subscription from Coffee & Kin. Their box subscriptions make great gifts too. Watch this space to hear more from Coffee & Kin’s new developments for 2019.

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