John Farrer & Co, Kendal, are already something of a Lake District icon, but then we have a lot to shout about, especially as 2019 is going to be a bit of a special year for the UK’s oldest coffee roaster…
In the last few months we have begun to invest in a programme of work to enhance our production, packaging and distribution facilities, which will make the entire process more efficient and free up members of the team to work on other aspects of the business. We’ve recruited two more members of staff bringing us up to 15 and we have exciting plans for 2019, with further investment being made to further enhance our production facilities.
On top of that we have also been busy creating a state-of-the-art training suite, at our Shap Road HQ, which is already being widely acclaimed as one of the best of its kind in the UK and provides us with the perfect opportunity to pass on our years of experience and expertise to our customers, so that they in turn can get the very best from our coffees.
This bespoke facility boasts eight work stations with the latest top of the range Sanremo machines, a flat screen interactive TV screen allowing us to hook up a variety of equipment all of which enables the delivery of a range of professional training courses, including Beverage Standards Association accredited courses, such as their personal development courses for trainers.
Our own inhouse training team have also been busy creating a selection of bespoke Coffee Experiences, designed for the home enthusiast. The team have designed a range of accessible training sessions to help the home enthusiast gain a more in depth understanding of the art of coffee making. Sessions include coffee tasting, Barista style coffee creation tutorials using professional equipment, and less involved home coffee creation courses, which show how to get the best from a variety of domestic coffee making equipment.
Alongside the developments at Shap Road there is another milestone that Farrer’s will be celebrating in 2019… their 200th anniversary!
Founded in 1819 by John Farrer, the company has continued to go from strength to strength; now housed in a modern state of the art roastery, on the edge of Kendal, it is very evident that John’s legacy continues as to this day the company creates quality tea and coffee for the Lake District and beyond.
The Farrer’s team of 15, including our four master roasters, is brim full of experience, with many members of the team hailing from in and around Kendal. That said, there’s an added dimension too, with a range of experience from several more international climes; including New Zealand, South Africa and the USA.
These team members have all over the years chosen to gravitate to the Lake District, the UK’s foodie capital and make it their home. They are all genuinely interested in being at the heart of a very innovative and distinct food scene, as well as being part of a company renowned for producing consistent, high quality artisan small batch roasted coffees.
As you might imagine we pride ourselves on the provenance of our sourcing; all our teas and coffees are purchased from known sources. Over the years we have developed close relationships with the families and farmers, who provide us with our raw ingredients we need to be able to craft the quality products we create. We have learned to appreciate the value of knowing about the growers and workers who produce those beans.
Coffee is first and foremost a natural product, one that takes a lot of time, care and knowledge to ensure it thrives. But coffee can’t thrive if the farmers and workers who care for it don’t thrive as well.
Knowing where our comprehensive range of 50 single origin and blended coffees comes from isn’t just about reassuring ourselves that we are sourcing it ethically but ensuring that the quality coffee we love this year will be available again and again in the years to come is equally as important…
All of this has helped contributed to making Farrer’s what is today, one of the leading coffee and tea merchant’s in the UK…
To find out more about what we do and who we are visit: http://farrerscoffee.co.uk
