Denise joined us on the 4th May 2010 as an admin assistant. In her own words, Denise remembers “coming across the job on My Sheffield Jobs on the final date to apply”. Denise is the proud owner of two horses and was busy at the stables mucking out when she came across the advert on her phone. Scared of missing the deadline, she “picked up the phone and called Cafeology with the hope of getting an interview”. Toni, our Finance Director answered the phone and after a quick chat invited Denise for an interview at our office based within Meersbrook Enterprise Centre.
Much like the weather today, it was “torrential rain” on the morning of her interview. The company was much smaller then and we only had “seven employees including Molly the white standard poodle”, which was perfect due to Denise being a dog lover herself. As you can probably guess…Denise got the job and the rest is history!
Throughout her 12 years with us, Denise has seen the business grow and expand resulting in the ability to roast our own coffee locally. “Over the years I have seen many changes but the most rewarding is watching “Teamology” continue to grow”.
Denise is one of our customer service champions manning the phones and handling any sales queries you may have. We’re incredibly proud to be ranked 5/5 on Trust Pilot with our customer service being pivotal to this. Denise is often the first person new customers speak to when they call us and we couldn’t think of anyone better to own this role.
A fond memory of Denise occurred a few years ago, when on our Christmas party it came to light that Bryan, our Managing Director, does not like wearing Xmas jumpers and would refuse to wear one. Denise got wind of this and “nipped home to grab a spare one” for Bryan…who by the end of the evening was pictured in said jumper, smiling (refer to photos). When a challenge is proposed to Denise, she will always find a way to overcome it.
At Cafeology, our people are the thing that matters most to us. Denise is a pivotal cog in Teamology and we wouldn’t be half as good without her. We’re very grateful for the role she’s done over the past 12 years. We think you’re fab - here’s to another 12!
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Throughout my time working in the pod, I improved my barista skills and grew a passion for working with coffee. This was a fantastic part time job for me which fitted round my studies at University. With the pod only having room for one worker, After a very enjoyable 2 years, In 2016, I came to the end of my course, graduated and moved back down to the South of England.
6 years later, I am now back living in the Steel City and working for Cafeology HQ. Naturally, I was interested in what the situation was with the coffee pod - was it still owned by Cafeology? Does it still exist? Do we still supply coffee?
I was delighted to be informed that the pod had been acquired by a small independent company called So Grounded. Cafeology still supply the pod with coffee but the ownership and management has been handed over to Daisy, owner of local independent operator So Grounded.
When I saw a delivery was going out to the pod, I offered to hand deliver it and introduce myself. It was nice to see my old workplace and notice the subtle changes since I was behind the kiosk. Daisy offers a friendly face serving our fresh coffee, hot chocolate and iced frappes to customers of Decathlon and passers-by. They also offer a range of hot food, sandwiches and serve a great selection of snacks and drinks to grab and go.
With seating both inside and out, free parking (just type in your reg plate inside) and city centre location, So Grounded offers a warm cosy environment to enjoy a cup of coffee.
I enjoyed meeting Daisy and going back to my roots in the coffee industry. She even let me loose on the coffee machine to check if I hadn’t lost my touch and take some photos.
So, if you are in Sheffield city centre and you need your Cafeology fix, why not head over to So Grounded coffee pod in Decathlon. I promise, you won’t be disappointed!
So Grounded is located at Decathlon,199 Eyre St, Sheffield S1 3HU. opening times which are :
Mon-Fri 9.30 am - 5pm
Saturday 9 am -5pm
Sunday 10.30 am- 3.30 pm
My first day consisted of a warm welcome and induction by Steve Hampshire, Cafeology’s very own Head of Coffee. It was imperative we covered off Covid-19 protocol and general health and safety in the workplace, alongside other various bits of housekeeping. I rounded off my first day with a positive customer meeting at Cafeology HQ, where we tasted several different blends we believed would suit her customer base.
Over the next few days I had the opportunity to juggle important online learning courses with getting hands on in the warehouse. As the customer orders started to come in, I was tasked with picking and sorting them ready to be loaded onto the van. It quickly became apparent that the warehouse was incredibly well organised so finding stock was easier than first thought. When dealing with numerous orders, it’s crucial everything is accurate which meant asking lots of questions and triple checking the items were correct.
In order to fulfil my role as Marketing and Customer Development Manager, not only do I need to understand our products, but meeting the customers we deliver to is essential. Luckily, on the Friday I was given the opportunity to join one of our delivery drivers on a run. It was lovely to meet our fantastic customers ranging from small coffee shops to Universities. Being able to hand deliver our product maintains that personal relationship we have with our customers.
I kicked off my second week with a fantastic “Barista Workshop” with Anthony (roaster and superstar barista). I’m proud to say I wasn’t too shabby and have retained parts of what I learned at the coffee pod. I learned that ensuring the espresso is dialled in correctly and milk is silky is far more important than the latte art. As they say in golf, drive for show, putt for dough.
The majority of my second week involved spending time In the roaster with Roastology. Getting stuck in with packaging, labelling and destoning the coffee beans has been very beneficial. I have now seen the product change from green bean form to a finished roasted product ready for sale. Alongside the knowledge of coffee my colleagues possess at Roastology, their passion to roast and produce high quality blends of coffee is second to none.
So here I am after 2 weeks at Cafeology HQ and can happily say I’m loving it! The environment is incredibly warming and I’ve been made to feel welcome in all aspects. Every member of the team has a real desire to be the best they can be in their role. Blend this with an unreserved passion for coffee and you get Cafeology.
Right, enough from me… I look forward to updating everyone after my first full month on the job!
Jacob Buckle
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I had the opportunity to volunteer at Wheatbridge Medical Centre to assist with a two day vaccination program designated for the over 80s. It was at very short notice as were the plans for the Health Centre to be used due to the last minute confirmation of availability of the vaccine.
]]>I had the opportunity to volunteer at Wheatbridge Medical Centre to assist with a two day vaccination program designated for the over 80s. It was at very short notice as were the plans for the Health Centre to be used due to the last minute confirmation of availability of the vaccine.
I have very little experience of dealing with older people in any sort of medical setting so was a little nervous at putting my name forward. However when my mate Terry, who had been tasked with raising a volunteer team explained that if he couldn’t confirm the existence of a team in the next couple of hours, the 2 days of vaccinations would be cancelled, I could only say “Yes”!
If I said “No” then around 1500 vulnerable local people would miss out on the opportunity to get their first dose of the vaccine.
I rang my employer, Cafeology to check if I could be spared the following day. As soon as they found out why, they too said “yes”!
When I arrived at Wheatbridge the following morning, I recognised most of my fellow Volunteers! As Terry is Landlord at my local pub, The Sir William in Grindleford, he had recruited most of the regulars from the Pub Quiz as volunteers! As we haven’t seen each other as a group for months, it was great to catch up. Like a night at the pub, only without the beer. Well, you can’t have everything!
A damn good chance to have a laugh together, something that we just can’t do under current socialising restrictions.
A very quick briefing for my role as sole outdoor queue Marshal, was followed by an explanation that the whole clinic was also open, including Surgery, Pharmacy, Dentist and Sexual Health Clinic.
This meant that the designated area for queuing would include 1 huge vaccination queue of over 80s, criss-crossed by 2 other queues and a 4th queue heading in the opposite direction towards the Sexual Health Clinic.
Apparently my task was to make sure the Vaccine queue was orderly and didn’t block the other facilities. I also had to ensure that none of the over 80s were lost to the Surgery or Pharmacy - bad enough, Dentist - bad, or probably worst case scenario - Sexual Health Clinic.
It is true to say that some of the patients were confused, some were anxious and others were scared. It was good to chat to them, explain where they were going to go during the visit and reassure them that the other volunteers and professionals were going to guide them through the building and procedures. They didn’t need to worry, their only input required was to turn up at vaguely the right time and give their name. Everything else would then be done for them.
As the idea was to minimise time in the building, the queuing was mainly outside under the overhanging roof. That overhang was great as it snowed for most of the second day. We arranged wheelchairs for those that could not queue on their feet for long and shelter indoors after the injection for the less able, running around the car park to match patients to their arriving taxi.
The chats with the patients in the queue were lovely. Their anticipation and excitement was infectious! Amazing to see many of them were so immaculately dressed for this big occasion!
People told how they hadn’t left the house since March or April last year. Others told of the isolation or how they had not seen their Grandchild since they were tiny and now they were walking and talking. It was very touching.
All of them were looking forward to a better time and saw this vaccination as the very start of a process that would lead to an end of their isolation.
There were only a few attempted queue jumpers, some I’m sure by accident, others, I’m fairly sure deliberately “not noticing” a line of 100 other, more patient people in their 80s. However, the vast majority of people in the queue were absolutely lovely.
It was like a party atmosphere. A Big Day Out! I spent most of the time laughing along with them, their jokes, stories and banter was great. It was also refreshing to be referred to as a “young man” so many times. That’s not happened for a while!
Their stoicism, warmth, humour and consideration for each other was an example to us all.
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience! It felt very worthwhile. It was very rewarding and great fun.
If you are given the chance or can bring about the opportunity to do something similar, I would wholeheartedly recommend that you say “Yes!” and just go with it!
John
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After completing an honours degree in photography, a job in the coffee industry is not your typical pathway. Coffee is one of the largest traded commodities in the world and reaches every corner of the earth. It feels very rewarding to assign my skillset to such an influential and fascinating global industry. More specifically, being part of Cafeology with ethics running through the core of the business, we are benefiting the lives of thousands of families out at origin in a sustainable way which is very important to me.
I cannot avoid mentioning Covid 19 as this was such a pivotal time during my first year. In this period I was offered the opportunity to continue the operation of the entire coffee roastery as a key worker, whilst the whole country faced bitter lockdown measures and the full brunt of the virus. I feel proud to say I’ve ran a coffee roastery by myself in the first year of my career. The last 6 months have developed my professional skills and expertise at a noticeably accelerated pace. I now have an increased confidence to apply myself to any area within the business.
For me, this is not a job, it is a career. I now seek to progress in the world of coffee and business even further so that I may contribute in an innovative, ethical and sustainable capacity. There is a fantastic energy in the work place at Cafeology or as we like to put it, ‘Team-ology’. The working environment plays to my strengths to be creative and innovative. I am devoted to constantly upskill myself as each week presents itself with new tasks, challenges and situations.
The warehouse and roastery is a vast place when working by yourself. This was lockdown life. For the majority I was too busy to notice, however there were occasions between packing literally thousands of bags of coffee for you lovely customers that I was able to reflect. The magnitude of how influential this industry is seldom thought about when you tap your contactless card at your local café and be about your business. I appreciate more than ever where my cuppa comes from and I encourage all you readers to do the same.
Sustainability is truly at the heart of the company and this was evidenced in my first couple of months as I was lucky enough to meet two of our principle coffee producers from Colombia. It was interesting to learn about life as a coffee grower and backs up Cafeology’s uniqueness of working directly with producers for long, sustained periods.
I have been fortunate enough this year to go to Portugal, which of course landed me in my flat for two weeks isolation. This has been a really exciting period to realise the significance of all areas of coffee production. Understanding the processes and numbers behind the day-to-day has been essential insight. I have had time to sink my teeth into new projects and peel back a few more layers of this huge metaphorical onion that is the coffee industry.
I wanted to end with a huge shout out to the incredible team I get to be a part of. It is an absolute pleasure to work alongside such a devoted group of individuals and inspirational management, without whom I would not be where I am. One notable memory I have with our Managing Director, Bryan, which will stay with me is during a typically busy week, I asked if there’s time for a coffee before a meeting, which with knee-jerk like response he replied; “there’s always time for coffee”. The people you work alongside and surround yourself with, whether that be personal or professional, far outweigh any other positives of the role. If you are a young graduate reading this or know of one, I encourage you to not give up on finding that ‘perfect role for you’, stay true to your values and to embrace change; ‘new different’ as much as ‘new normal’.
I’m thrilled and ready to embrace year 2 at Cafeology. It is a privilege. There’s only one thing left to do after reading all that: Pop Kettle on!
Alastair Dolbear
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Well where has the last few weeks gone ! In some respects it appears to have flown however thinking of life pre lock down this feels a distant memory as so much has changed and so dramatically.
On a positive progress note, my mushrooms has been a fungal revelation ! mushrooms a plenty which have been added to stir fry’s, omelettes, homemade pizza’s alongside the mandatory weekend bacon sandwich. It has to be said that I have enjoyed my morning routine of peering inside the box to count the progress a small but very therapeutic process.
Time has evaporated by constant development of our online retail shop working on new coffee lines alongside making sure that we display the wide range of both ingredients and ancillaries that we hold at our coffee roastery near Meadowhall. We have been delighted and quite overwhelmed with the feedback we have received as always we go above and beyond to bring the freshly roasted coffee to our customer homes sometimes within just a couple of hours from orders and as far afield as Miami, Australia and regular deliveries to Ireland.
Our time has also been spent on obtaining important customer feedback on our store and ensuring that we deliver the most perfect cup of fresh coffee to you importantly in the way that you want and creating new products. Some exciting news will follow but for now just watch this space !
I have continued to occupy my mind by cooking, gardening and grooming our beautiful standard poodle Poppy.
At this time of year I always turn my mind to buying plants for my hanging and hay baskets as I love to see the plants bloom and cascade as the summer months move on. Sadly this year I was unable to visit the garden centre with my Mum to ask her opinion and spend quality time always accompanied with a coffee stop for our usual chat.
This time however is all about finding a way and compromise so I was delighted to receive a delivery from New Leaf Garden Centre as they brilliantly fulfilled my brief of a mixed array of bedding plants which I was able to display and share with my Mum over a conference call.
My annual ritual includes the use of coffee sacks as the hanging and hay basket liners as they make the perfect base, retain moisture and also look fantastic each providing a unique look !
The other coffee related accompaniment is the addition of coffee chaff to the compost. Coffee chaff is a nitrogen rich parchment from roasted coffee which is collected and bagged from our coffee roasters we store this and make it available for gardeners as part of our environmental policy.
Digging this coffee chaff matter in the compost helps not only with adding nutrients but also moisture retention as it acts a little like a sponge helping keeping the plants hydrated. In a short time I have managed to make an utter mess in the back garden with pots, compost and plants everywhere however once complete I feel rather satisfied with myself and ensure that I am rewarded with todays coffee a delicious Costa Rican Micro lot from our friend Roberto. I chose to make this with the Chemex as having time at home does not mean that you are unable to replicate a coffee shop experience and this is possible without going to great expense with a coffee machine. The process of warming the Chemex jug first by wetting the filter paper following by adding 30g of Cafeology Costa Rican coffee and then slow pouring at first 50g of water followed by a slow pour of a further 450g of water over 5 minutes results in a delicious smooth creamy and utterly satisfying cup !
Sit back relax and put your feet up take a sip and admire your handy work. Importantly don’t forget to listen to the birds as I am hoping that they are telling us that we are on the right side and that things will return to a new and maybe better normal soon !
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I will never forget the feeling of walking out into the coffee fields for the very first time and actually seeing the coffee cherry in real life. Still to this day it gives me goose bumps looking back. I’m still in contact with a lot of the guys that went on the origin trip and we occasionally share tips and advice and its always great to catch up with them at the coffee festivals around the world.
It’s also been a journey personally since the trip, the most noteworthy would be the birth of my new son Seth. It’s amazing being a Dad and has given me a different focus and passion for both work and at home. It’s also given me even more desire the very best ground coffee and the best coffee beans.
Professionally, it’s been a tremendous journey since my trip, helping develop and grow the Roastology brand has been amazing. We have moved into new premises, bought another, bigger Diedrich coffee roaster, taken on new staff and for me, the most exciting thing is our product development. The range of green coffee beans we are now working with create some of the best coffee in the UK.
My knowledge and skillset in the world of coffee is still developing but I have grown so much since the trip and I think that reflects in the coffee quality we produce. I don’t do as much of the day to day roasting as I once did, we now have three amazing coffee guys who have come in and filled that roll. We’ve got Alastair, Liam and James who all do an amazing job with pression and passion. Worry not though folks, it’s all done under close supervision as I like to pass my knowledge on to the team. Seeing the guys flourish as they get more involved in the roasting process gives me a huge amount of satisfaction, reinforcing the many of the reasons I’m involved in the greatest industry on earth.
I’m super excited to be re-introducing and Sumatran coffee into our range. I love the flavour profile of Sumatrans, the Tano Bantak is caramel and chocolatey, good acidity with a hint of green apple. Indonesia and Sumatra will always have a special place in my heart and I will never forget that very first origin trip experience.
Our Sumatran treat will be available in course ground coffee, fresh ground coffee and coffee beans 1kg. We will also be further developing it with our new blend as we continue to develop our espresso ground coffee by using the best coffee beans available.
Its currently very challenging times across the globe with the Covid-19 outbreak and I wonder where the world will be in another three years, but I’m sure, wherever there is great green coffee available, you will find me and Roastology
: -) Until the next journey, you will probably find me with a coffee and walnut cake at one of the nearby coffee shops
Steve
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Even though our team is not extremely big, communication has always been vital! Working from two sites, I have found that we have had to communicate effectively to ensure that we can provide the best customer service. Without a doubt since we have got Microsoft Teams it has been way easier!
However, communication does not stop with our team here in the UK. It extends from here to our producers in Latin America. This is where I have tried to develop my role. Using my bilingual skills, I have connected us to our farmers and understood that the situation in which they live is essential to make sure the coffee we roast is the best quality. It has helped us to appreciate the effort behind every single green bean we receive here.
Before, I was more of a cafetière kind of person. The only reason for this was because I didn’t know how to brew a coffee with a Chemex. Since I got one, it has changed my life! My morning coffee tastes so much smoother and better!
Before starting I had no idea what they meant by aroma, acidity, purity, etc. For me, I either liked the coffee, or I didn’t. After a few coffee cuppings experiences I now understand (or at least I think I do!) what they mean by this. Coffee cupping is essential to understand the quality of the coffee. This year that I’ve been working at Cafeology I have had the experience of participating in a couple of cupping sessions. It’s been great and I still blindly choose the Colombian as my favourite origin (a little unconscious bias perhaps?).
Since I started my role at Cafeology, there isn’t a day that goes by which isn’t a challenge and a learning experience. I started working on different projects and on each project, there are always new things to learn. From new IT software to managing an online store to working on process maps - I have developed skills and the hands-on experience of working on all the different aspects of small medium enterprises.
With the current worldwide situation, we had to shift our work from B2B to B2C overnight. This meant that the whole mindset of the company had to change, and we had to adapt to a new working experience. For me, this meant working on what I loved the most in my spare time – digital marketing and developing a strategy to attract new customers through our online store. However, adapting has also meant working from home on my own and having that discipline to wake up early and have a routine as if I was going to the office. It’s been an interesting experience, but I can say that the whole team has adapted to this new lifestyle quickly and we have overcome many challenges in order to work together to make our company thrive.
My first year working with Cafeology has been an incredible and fulfilling learning experience. I am extremely grateful to Bryan and Toni for believing in me and letting me be part of this amazing and lovely Team-ology. It’s been great to participate in wonderful events such as Pacho’s (our Colombian farmer) visit to the UK to celebrate the 10th year working together but also on challenges like the current COVID-19 pandemic. I can’t wait to continue growing with this beautiful company and see what the future brings to all of us!
Daniela Orrego
International Coffee Producer
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We are celebrating 5 years since we were awarded the prestigious Guardian Sustainable Business award in recognition for our Bird Friendly shade-grown coffee
This product was launched in 2014 in the UK market, 100% arabica coffee that is grown under conditions set out and certified by the Smithsonian Institution's Migratory Bird Centre in Washington.
The Bird Friendly® program aims to protect the most quality habitat from the threat of deforestation under the Bird Friendly seal. The Bird Friendly seal really is the gold standard in eco-friendly, organic farming.
Not only is the coffee one of the most environmentally friendly coffees in the world, but it also tastes amazing too. Being grown strictly in the shade allows the coffee to mature slower giving it a rounded, balanced flavour with an amazing clean cup profile.
By purchasing this coffee, you are protecting the planet, paying a fair price to producers, whilst enjoying stunning single estate, organically grown coffee, freshly roasted here in the United Kingdom.
Bryan, our Managing Director and founder, said:
‘It was a momentous occasion to be recognised by such a prestigious award following the hard work we had done in raising the profile of Bird Friendly coffee here in the UK. Our Bird Friendly certified organic coffee grows under biodiverse shade that provides critical habitat for migratory songbirds and other wildlife, isolates carbon and helps fight climate change.
The evening at The Crystal in London’s Docklands was certainly one of the highlights of my career, capped off by being joined by Dr Robert Rice from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center in Washington DC who happened to be visiting during a rare vacation to the UK’.
Celebrating the 3 of the best!
We want to celebrate this journey with you by bringing together three of our best coffees in a special offer.
Roberto has been in coffee all his life, learning from his father who was a pioneer of coffee in the Tarrazu region, launching techniques and higher productivity varietals focusing on Caturra, Borbon and Catuai.
The farm which Roberto and his wife Doris acquired is 25 hectares in total across the stunning and famous Tarrazu region of Costa Rica. This region is one of the most highly regarded coffee growing areas worldwide. In many people's opinion, Costa Rican Coffee from Tarrazu is one of the world's greatest coffees with its light, clean flavour and wonderful fragrance.
The fragrance however doesn’t finish in the cup. The attached pictures were taken on Wednesday 22 April showing the amazing coffee flowers. I called Roberto on a WhatsApp video call and saw the amazing sight first hand.
I have never been lucky enough to see coffee in flower first hand but as with many of us working from home currently, the Cherry Blossom we have outside the house is a sight to behold – just not the same fragrance unfortunately.
The flowering only lasts a couple of days a year and normally starts 10-11 days after the first rainfall of the season – Roberto told me he intends to sleep outside tonight (23 April) to enjoy the magnificent scent in the air and has promised to send us some petals to make some tea with! Who would have though making a cup of tea from dried coffee flowers, now there’s a treat we can look forward to!
Bryan Unkles
]]>I have continued to embrace my love of cooking and a new found pleasure in creating meals like I’m in the set of ready steady cook but with no waste bin. I always have hated any type of food waste but I can honestly say that I have taken this to a whole new level. To date I have only sacrificed a wobbly carrot and mouldy parsnip so feeling rather chuffed with my frugality.
This resulted in a quiche which used a couple of the weekends rashers of bacon, a leek, some shallots that had been living in the vegetable drawer in the fridge for far too long and some delicious black bomber from Silver Hill Larder close to home at Parkhead in Sheffield.
My issue is that I need to keep moving in order to burn off these baking calories however I appear to have literally stumbled across another problem here, well launched might be a more appropriate adjective.
Last Thursday evening prior to the weekly NHS clap we decided to take Poppy (our Standard Poodle) on her walk and turning into the jitty, snicket or genal dependent upon your locality I managed to kick a protruding stone and propel myself like a downhill skier minus the snow and with the addition of gravel towards the earth at a great rate of knots. I would like to point out that not a drop of alcohol had passed my lips but maybe if it had I would have bounced a little !
My bruised ribs and gravelled extremities have put paid albeit temporarily I hope to my exercise plans as feeling rather sore. Anyway sitting on the settee with a good cup of Teaology Tea and half a chocolate rabbits ear does make it all a little easier.
The day after my fall I decided that rather than sit at my laptop I would bake a cake ! So I decided on a Cafeology Bird Friendly Peruvian Coffee and Walnut cake.
The distraction from my aching ribs was very welcome and it’s a long time since I have spent a morning making so much mess and feeling so absorbed in a new and challenging subject matter. Baking is a science and to be honest my style is rather more creative when it comes to home cooking however I am a qualified SCA coffee roaster so I adopted my professional hat and became focused and ensured that rather than a dash of this and a slurp of that I accurately and diligently weighed out all.
My first problem arose from the walnuts as required 85g and despite raiding my bags of mixed fruit and nuts that usually adorn my cereal I could muster only 50g so a combination of pecans and brazil nuts came to the rescue.
So whisking, beating, chopping nuts, whipping and icing and 3 hours later the cake was created ! I would like to say now that personally it looks better than the taste test as if I can be brutally honest my substitute brazil nuts appear to be rather thirsty and in my Mary Berry opinion sucked all the moisture out of my master piece !
Anyway it was appreciated by my Mum, Dad and my Brother in Laws parents but Bryan not so sure his comment was ‘its not like your Mums’ well yes I agree completely but with the additional of at least two mugs of Cooling Towers coffee you could manage to swallow again !
As I write this the sun is shining once more and sitting in my little corner I have had a further Cafeology Colombian Smoothie by my side so here is today’s recipe :
2 shots of Cafeology Colombian Coffee
2 bananas
150ml cold milk
Handful of ice
A cheeky shot of Mount Gay Rum
So the moral to this story is don’t tell everyone else to be careful and go around not picking your feet up yourself and also brazil nuts are certainly no substitute for walnuts.
Finally I decided that as a secret twitcher it would be somewhat cruel to feed that last sliver of the cake to my friendly blackbird so it joins the carrot and the parsnip still not doing so bad though.
PS – Breaking Mushroom News we have a white misty mould beginning to form so maybe next week folks !
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I am writing this blog in an effort to remain positive as personally I have so much to be thankful for plus hopefully shine some positive light to the readers but as you are all acutely aware these are very sad and worrying times.
On a much lighter note I appear to have made a little progress in relation to growing mushrooms as I can see a faint glimmer of what appears to be mould in one of the corner so in which case garlic mushrooms may be back on the menu at the weekend. Lets see what tomorrow mornings little peak shows it could even be breakfast!
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Personally, I have found sanctuary in the top corner of my garden which is a very tranquil and previously unused area however this has quickly become my favourite place for quiet contemplation and yes you’ve guessed it a beautiful hand roasted coffee. My brew of choice this morning was our Roastology Aviator blend which we have been awarded both three and two stars from the Great Taste Awards.
I find this particular blend of arabica from Ethiopia, Honduras and Sumatra works wonderfully with a little piece (well go on then a large piece) of Easter egg at around 10.55 in a morning !
Our time in addition to drinking great Cafeology coffee and the odd glass of wine has been spent tirelessly developing and adapting our business at speed from dealing with business customers conversant with industry knowledge to people just like us all now finding themselves at home.
We have adapted, tweaked, bolstered and all manner of other adjectives you can think to our online presence which I am pleased it getting better daily. However, the truth of the matter is that we are an independently owned business with genuine family values that will do all in its power to protect its team and deliver some exceptional quality coffees direct to our customers doors. What we are yet to learn in relation to our retail presence we definitely make up with in our product range, passion and provenance back to our producers all over the world.
We have lived for the last 17 years with the strapline of ‘100% Ethical in all that we do’ and now as ever we feel that this helps to deliver our honest message that when you place an order it really does matter to us all. One thing to note is that if before 3pm you will get it the following day !
Anyway, anyone who does know me personally is aware that I love a little challenge so I have decided that now more than ever I need this to help me fill my days and feel a sense of achievement on a personal basis as well as work. The two are inextricably linked really but my front door is certainly a personal matter that over the years has given me so many headaches as it leaks ! The door is made of oak and so is like having another human being living with us as it moves and creaks with the sun, wind and rain but now that it has reached maturity at 9 years old as the front to our house has settled down. So, now for the challenge as it requires to be sanded and looked after and made to look smart again so I shall hopefully be spending some summer evenings rubbing down and staining until it looks the part !
My contingency plan for any potential wet weather is back to baking and my next plan is a Cafeology Colombian Coffee and Walnut cake. I must admit that I am not the best of bakers in the family that honour goes to my Mum, Sister and now passed down to my niece Hannah. But I will give it a go.
My recipe ideas so far on my more preferred savoury side has been the addition of a little crumbled stilton the top of a cottage pie along with browned leeks in the mash.
Also I was pleased to invent a slow cooked pork shoulder recipe for my Nephew who is isolating in Sheffield during his final year at Sheffield Hallam University who sent a great picture on WhatApp of his plate which looked a good hearty portion.
One thing that I have yet to mention is that coffee is not just great to drink but the by products of roasting the ‘chaff’ can be used to dig into your soil at this time of year along with spent coffee grounds as they act as a fertiliser adding nitrogen into the ground.
Well its time to pick up some sandpaper or will be it be a garden hoe to dig in all evidence of my numerous cups of coffee today !
Until next time ..
]]>Cafeology chose to close its office on Tuesday 17th March a week prior to lock down and during that time the company invoked its disaster contingency plans and kicked down plan B. We took the decision as we are a family run business and had the flexibility to make our own decision. We pride ourselves on being 100% ethical and felt that this was the right decision and it’s the right time to protect our wonderful team and their families. Our shift has been to switch its operations to supplying the consumer direct as overnight all our customers were forced to close their doors.
Personally this has been the most challenging period of my life making hard decisions outside of my comfort zone and at breakneck speed. The initial feelings of panic have now subsided and replaced with feelings of thankfulness for to date the health of my family and friends, gratitude to all NHS and all the unsung heroes on the front line day to day and hope for the future.
I have found daily hope from the small things that previously due to the pace of my life were too often missed such as pegging out washing on a sunny blowy day, having time to smell fresh cut grass from a neighbours garden or actually day dreaming and literally watching the kettle boil for that next cup of coffee.
This brings me onto two of my main passions coffee and food as I literally can’t live without either! My love of coffee is that you cannot beat the thought of a fresh coffee to get you going in the morning a delicious Colombian is my favourite as it is smooth, with a sweet nutty flavour finishing on hints of caramel.
Early on in the crisis I decided, well my panicked mind reverted back to my days as a girl guide that I should think ahead and grow my own food in this situation. So, I ordered a ‘Portabello grow your own mushroom kit’ alongside a potato planting kit from our friends at Amazon.
Well to date I am still awaiting on the delivery of the potato kit and I am assuming that they have germinated in some distribution hub somewhere and at this rate may arrive fully grown and hopefully deep fried as chips!
However, the same cannot be said for my trusty mushrooms that have been covered in soil and watered for seven days now. Each morning I take a peak and even have a sweep stake with our newly formed online pub as to which area will sprout and produce the beautiful food first. Anyway watch this space but I am not planning on a listing a mushroom omelette on our home menu this week.
I am really enjoying though the new found sense of invention and learning that this time gives as everyday really is a school day again. I am finding this challenge refreshing and rewarding but also feel a sense a guilt in using those words throughout this time as so much suffering and heartache is taking place as I write but keeping myself mentally strong is a requirement now and so this helps balance my emotions.
Each new day brings small new pleasures this morning as an example has been eating a soft boiled egg with soldiers in the garden washed down with a delicious Micro lot Costa Rican coffee grown by our dear friend Roberto Mata and roasted by Alastair at our roastery in Sheffield.
Time has also allowed much more sleep and this in turn has allowed me to also reformat my mind giving room for other thoughts such as how to create a new smoothie which combines my normal rushed favourites coffee and banana’s .
We have this morning created a new delight two shots of espresso (through an Aeropress coffee maker ) we have used our winter coat blend, two bananas, a dash of maple syrup and ice blended for thirty seconds. Not sure what we will call this little caramel coloured delight but it tasted delicious and was full of flavour.
My other passion that I have been unable to fulfil to any potential recently has been gardening I love being outdoors and prior to this crisis I was known to repeatedly state - all I want is time. Well now I have it its making sure I put things to good use. Whilst sitting in the garden my day dreaming results in look at the garden fence to decide the next shade to choose as clearly in need of some TLC and then scrambling in the cupboard to see if we have brushes and paint and planning on the next sunny day that from the shed to the cherry tree is my new target !
Naturally the same as everyone else I am desperately missing my family and friends however still feel very connected through WhatsApp, Teams and other social media platforms, its great to see such good coming from Facebook and Instagram.
Pop up Pubs, family online baking and group chats form the basis of the daily structure and help to keep us all connected in a new and very real way.
I must dash as I have my home-made bread dough proving and I am due back for the next WhatsApp kneading stage with my Mum and Sister, who spookily enough have all chosen a stripy top to wear today so have named our group the Stripy Bakers roll over The Hairy Bikers you are not a patch on us !
Toni Unkles
Finance Director
]]>Last month we participated in the Mac Millan Coffee Morning, as we hosted a coffee and pastries morning at Roastology. Every penny we raised means Macmillan can help more people with cancer live life as fully as they can.
Local customers, offices and friends visited the roastery on the morning to sample our own hand roasted Roastology coffee which tasted even better as accompanied by pastries donated by our friends at Cawa Bakeries.
On the day we raised a total of £241 and as at Cafeology we really admire the work the MacMillan charity are doing this year we have increased the total donation to £500.
We also delighted to be supporting a further charity this year which came about following Bryan and Toni meeting new friends whilst travelling in Japan earlier this year. During the Rugby World Cup held in Japan in September Bryan and Toni met Jo Williamson a fellow Scotland rugby support.
Over a few Kirin beers and laughs they got to know Jo’s story which has resulted in the donation to his very worthy cause.
Jo’s wife was diagnosed in 1993 with a very rare form of cancer, for which she fought bravely for 10 years until 2003 when she sadly passed away. At that time, they did not know that the cancer could be passed on and after some testing, two of his youngest children have inherited their mother’s pheo-cancer gene.
Jo is now raising money to help his own charity Phae & Para Cancer Charity (SC048589) and we are delighted to be supporting him with a donation of £500.
If you wish to learn more about Jo’s family story ready here:
]]>I wanted to do my work experience at Cafeology as I thought it was a good opportunity to find out what work is like in a warehouse also to see what sorts of coffee there is and how it is produced. I was lucky enough to be accepted to work as part of the Cafeology and Roastology Team.
On my first day I was very nervous as I didn’t know what to expect but when I met all the staff at the warehouse I was put at ease. Everyone was very friendly and treated me like I was part of the team. Steve (who was my line manager) talked me through all the Health and Safety, Hygiene and Fire procedures and made sure I had understood everything. I was then given a hi-vis vest and had a tour around the warehouse/roastery to see all the different work areas. Once my tour had finished I went and worked with Greg who showed me the warehouse cleaning process and how to use the pump truck, he then let me clean an area of the warehouse and ensured I completed the cleaning record. I was then showed how to pick a customer order and Greg explained the importance of best before dates as well as batch codes & ensuring the batch codes are written on the pick lists. He also explained product coding and the location of products. Greg talked me through the difference between courier delivery (DPD) orders and hand delivery orders. He showed me how to pack DPD deliveries and print off DPD labels so the order/s are delivered to the correct customer. I was also showed where to put hand deliveries once picked.
Other jobs I did over my work experience:
Coffee Roasting - when I first went onto the roasting the green beans - creating Roastology blended coffee, Steve showed and talked me through the process. He started me with an RMP003 (roast master product) once the roast had finished, he ask me questions about roasting to ensured I have listened to him and had understood the process. I did further roasts of RMP001, RMP004 & RMP006 under the supervision of Steve and Chay. Steve would kept asking me questions very enthusiastically about the roasting process like
“What temperature are you changing the airflow at?”
“What do we not change it at?”
“What temperature are you dropping it at?”
“What temperature are you not dropping it at?“
“Why do we do tests and record the temperature?”
I would always answer with a smile.
I did do one roast unsupervised which was a RMP001 and Steve passed it with the comment of “well done chief”. This did boost my confidence. Roasting the coffee was my favourite job. I found it interesting learning about all the different blends of coffee and how to make a perfect blend by dropping and changing the airflow at different temperatures (270,370 and 430-446).
I also did some packing of Roastology coffee beans. Luke talked me through the process of packing and labelling the coffee bags and boxes. I than packed the Cafe Excelso Espresso beans for University of Sheffield, which are in brown 1kg bags and are packed eight to a box. I had to ensure the weight was accurate for all the bags.
Barista training with Scott was so much harder than I expected as you have to get the right amount of ground coffee and it has to be level. The milk has to be the right temperature and has to have the right amount of foam specific to the type of coffee you are making. I did enjoy this but wasn’t very confident in this area. While I was doing my training Steve popped up to see how I was getting on and asked for a Cappuccino but I didn’t know how to make one , so I made him a latte, it took multiple attempts to make it right. I don’t think I will be a barista in the future. Thanks Scott for your patience.
Delivering customers orders via hand delivery with Roger was fun as I got to meet some customers, while seeing some of the country sights within Derbyshire. I found the customers very friendly and happy to have receive they orders. Roger talked me through the delivery process, made me check the stock out of the van matched the customer’s order before going into the customer. I had to ensure the delivery note was signed and dated by the customer. It was a busy day for deliveries and it was physical work, but the day went so fast and I did enjoy delivering orders.
Overall I enjoyed my work experience at Cafeology/Roastology warehouse and have gained a lot of knowledge about the coffee business, especially the roasting side of it.
A BIG THANK YOU to Steve for being very patient with me and explaining all the processed to me while also being cheery. Also thank you to Chay, Greg, Roger, Scott and Luke for passing on knowledge and helping me complete my work duties and also for making my 2 weeks with Cafeology/Roastology enjoyable.
Thank you to Toni and Bryan for the opportunity to work within your company.
Aaron Maris
]]>The strategic aim of The Parliamentary Review is to raise standards. In each edition, a host of outstanding organisations share their experiences and areas of best practice, all the while identifying key issues they face in the current political and economic environment. The Review features cabinet ministers, leading journalists and is sent to over 500,000 leading business executives and policymakers.
Success for businesses of any size does not always come easily, and this year’s edition of The Parliamentary Review is indispensable for anyone who seeks to make a name for themselves in industry. It highlights significant developments and concerns for business leaders up and down the country.
The co-chairman of The Parliamentary Review, Lord Pickles, has praised the upcoming Review as one of the most comprehensive yet. He commented that as Britain undergoes changes, it is “essential that politicians have a firm understanding of the challenges with which British organisations must contend” and that The Review once again provides a perfect platform for this.
Writing in The Review, The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove says “this year’s Parliamentary review comes at a momentous time for parliament, as we collectively determine the destiny of the United Kingdom.”
The best practice article for Cafeology can be viewed here:
]]>Following a recent recruitment drive, we are delighted to announce the appointments of two new members of the team, taken on following successful degrees at local Universities.
Alastair Dolbear and Liam Worsley will be based at the Roastery near Meadowhall under the title Coffee Production Specialist, covering all aspects of coffee production.
Alastair, from Sherborne in Somerset gained a First Class Honours in Photography at Sheffield Hallam University and has worked as an Open Day Ambassador as well as a Course Representative during his time at SHU. His second language is German.
Alastair enjoys an active social life and led the Universities Korfball Team as well as running social sport sessions at the University.
Liam from Brightlingsea, Essex graduated across the city at the University of Sheffield gaining a First Class honours degree in Biology. During his final year his modules varied from a field course in Portugal studying the effect of nectar on bees and a dissertation on the impact of urbanisation on pollinators and decomposers.
Liam, who now lives in Wath upon Dearne also attended Yorkshire Officer Training Regiment as part of the Universities Officer Training Corp.
Both have a genuine passion for coffee and want to learn all aspects of coffee production as they look to forge a career in this exciting industry.
]]>It was 2008 when our Founder Bryan Unkles embarked on his first-ever origin trip to beautiful Costa Rica. The first producer he met ‘in the field’ was Roberto Mata, in Dota Valley in the Tarrazu region of the country. Bryan spent some time with Roberto learning about coffee cultivation, the processes the coffee goes through and just why exactly was Tarrazu coffee just so good.
Don Roberto Mata is the 4th generation of the Mata’s family in the coffee business. His farm located in Dota Valley, 1550 meters above sea level at the heart of the region of Tarrazu. Tarrazu is world known for producing the finest coffee in Central America where Roberto’s dad was a pioneer in launching innovative techniques to produce high-quality coffee.
Roberto has been involved in coffee all his life, learning through strong family ties with his father being a pioneer in the Tarrazu region. He launched many new initiatives to create varietals to assist in greater production.
The farm which Roberto’s father passed down was a total of 4 hectares. Unfortunately then the farm was not large enough to cover expenses so Roberto put plans in action to purchase more land creating a combined total of 25 hectares. The further investment came in the shape of their own Mill which opened 2 years ago. This allowed the group to provide a complete solution and total traceability boosting production up to between 100-150 Tonnes per annum.
Café Roberto Mata’s mission to produce joy and prosperity to everyone involved in the coffee chain in a sustainable way. Roberto describes their coffee flavours as “sweet, good balance, good acidity and with cocoa notes”
Roberto says about his relationships with Cafeology “Bryan and I have a good relationship. We met over 10 years ago supplying Caféology. The reason for such a long relationship is because Cafeology demands high quality with traceability, paying good prices and supporting our business practices, ensuring we produce and process our wonderful coffee to the very highest standards. We share those benefits with the community, workers and family. It has been a win-win relationship, we are happy and looking at how Cafeology is growing, can only be a good thing as we continue to develop together”
Proud of this long-standing friendship Bryan commented ‘Cafeology has always prided itself on long-standing, sustainable relationships with all our stakeholders and this one are extremely precious to me. We celebrated Cafeology’s 10th birthday together in Costa Rica and enjoyed hosting Roberto during a visit to Sheffield in 2015’.
‘The coffee is exceptional and with Roberto at the helm, you know all the focus is on quality in a sustainable and caring way. Roberto is a true gentleman and our 100% Direct Trade agreement means we can work closely to assist the farm in the development of coffee whilst at the same time provide our clients with reassurance and fully traceability they require and deserve’.
The 2019 Crop is now available On-Line shop For bulk enquiries, please kindly contact us on 0114 255 8007 or sales@cafeology.com
]]>The beginning of 2019 kicked off with confirmation from the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) that after many months of hard work, Cafeology had achieved ‘Premier Training Campus’ accreditation for its brand-new state of the art roasting, training and warehouse facility – Roastology.
When the decision was taken in February 2018 to move and expand our Roastery, a major reason for undertaking this project was to create a space not only to roast exceptional coffees, but to open our doors to local and national customers who share our passion. These customers really want to improve the quality of coffee they brew within their operations and need our help to do this.
Therefore, we set out to create the most advanced coffee training facility in Sheffield with all the equipment, physical space and atmosphere needed for our students to learn about coffee.
Although Cafeology has a wealth of knowledge and experience in this area, it was important to ensure we were judging ourselves against the highest standards in the industry at this moment in time. For this we partnered with the SCA who are a non-profit, membership-based association representing coffee farmers to baristas and roasters across the global.
The SCA acts as a unifying force within the specialty coffee industry and works to make coffee better by raising standards worldwide through a collaborative and progressive approach. Dedicated to building an industry that is fair, sustainable, and nurturing for all, drawing on years of insights and inspiration from the specialty coffee community, which was a perfect fit to the values of Cafeology.
As the move to our new facility became a reality in the summer of 2018, we embarked on the challenging journey with the SCA to achieve their highest standards set for a training facility. This is referred to as their Premier Training Campus programme that outlines in detail what equipment, space and materials are needed to deliver the SCA’s exceptionally high standards and protocols.
Accreditation is only achieved following a visit by a representative of the SCA to audit all the work done to create a calibrated teaching environment for our students. Our audit was conducted by Owen Thom who manages the programme in Europe and we were delighted to receive our certificate in February 2019.
As the first recognised Premier Training Campus in the north of England, we plan to offer our customers a range of in-house modules and in-depth courses to suit their needs as well as access to independent Authorised SCA Trainers (AST’s) to teach aspects of the Coffee Skills Diploma.
This is another exciting step for our business and demonstrates our commitment to helping our customers serve better coffee. For more information or if you would like to book a place onto one
Exciting news from HQ as we have recently appointed Colombian Daniela Orrego Payan to the team as International Producer Development
Although we have been working with Latin American producers since 2008, we have seen our direct sourcing continue to grow and as we look to forge closer working ties with our producers, we felt the time was right to make this exciting appointment
Daniela who is an Alumna from the University of Sheffield graduated in an undergrad in Law and a Masters in Management
In May 2018, Daniela joined members of the University on a Cafeology field trip to visit our producers Cencoic in the southern region of Popayan, which was the first time Daniela met Bryan. Please visit Daniela’s blog on the trip. https://cafeology.tumblr.com
The trip included meeting our traders in Bogota, Francisco from our long term producer from Asoapia as well as a greater insight into coffee production with Cencoic.
Following her return to Sheffield, where Daniela resides, we kept in touch and we were delighted to offer Daniela a position based at our Woodseats office.
Bryan commented ‘it’s fantastic to add Daniela to our growing team, offering both experience from an education background, whilst also having a great insight into Colombian life. Daniela will be heavily involved in liaising directly with our producers across Latin America as well as other specific producer related projects.
Having travelled with Daniela, I feel she has a great understanding about our business and the ethics behind it and feel she will bring a great deal of additional qualities to the company’.
Daniela said ‘I am really excited to work for a company that is constantly trying to make great coffee while maintaining suitable and lasting relationships. From visiting Colombia, with Cafeology, I saw firsthand the effort the company makes to create real positive impact on the farmers and I am very proud to be working with them now’
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Degree: LLB Law & Criminology, MSc Management & Entrepreneurship
University: University of Sheffield
Your story with Cafeology: I was in London voting for President for Colombia, when I got a phone-called from a friend saying that there was a trip to Colombia the following day with a coffee company called Cafeology and that she couldn’t go, so if I wanted to go. Before I knew it, I was on a flight heading to Bogotá with Cafeology and the University of Sheffield representatives. During the trip I had the chance to meet Bryan and the producers from CENCOIC and Asoapia, we visited the farms, had a couple of meetings and I was able to share my knowledge of Colombian culture plus do plenty of translations.
When I came back to the UK, I finished my master’s and Bryan and I continue to be in touch. After a couple of months, I was offered a part-time job at Cafeology as International Producer Development! Read more about my story with the company here: https://cafeology.tumblr.com/
Biggest challenge: Learning all coffee related terms in both languages! It has been like learning a new dictionary, but it’s been extremely fun to learn from both sides of the coffee supply chain how they communicate
What value do you add to the company: My knowledge of Colombian culture, I was born and raised in Cali, Colombia and since a small age I have been involved in the coffee industry. My Dad is from Armenia (one of the cities from the coffee triangle) where we used to visit regularly. Playing in the coffee fields and having strong relationship with the coffee growers was part of my life in Colombia. I understand the struggles and challenges coffee growers face when they want to export their products, but I also have the academic knowledge of business from studying at the University of Sheffield. I believe that with the mix of understanding Colombian culture and UK culture I can bring great value to the relationship Cafeology has with our producers.
What does a normal day at work looks like for you: I work Tuesday and Thursday and during that time I try to divide my work between digital marketing and liaising with the producers in Colombia. However, I have had the chance of getting involved in other areas of the business that has always been interesting to be. Like implementation of processes in SMEs, auditing and even working with HACCAP.
Last month, I had the biggest challenge of organising Pacho (our Colombian producer) visit to the UK. Along-side Bryan & Andy we visited over 20 clients and participated in different activities from meetups to Q&A sessions. I also organised the Colombian themed party to celebrate our 10th year anniversary working with Asoapia. It was a great experience and challenging one!
Why do you enjoy working here: The coffee industry is a fast-growing field that has a lot of things to learn and challenges! Being Colombian I am very fortunate to work at a company that values the coffee farmers as much as they value the customers. Cafeology has always been proud of the strong relationship they have with their farmers and now I am part of making that relationship even stronger.
People are the focus of Cafeology from our coffee growers to the customers but also our staff. Everyone that works at the company is very welcoming and have made my experience at the company unique.
Favourite single origin coffee: Colombian, of course
How do you take your coffee: Espresso black with a spoon of Panela
Liam Worsley – Coffee Production Specialist
Degree: BSc Biology
University: University of Sheffield.
Your story with Cafeology: After graduating, my career path was uncertain. I had just graduated with a first in biology and now I had to decide what I wanted to do with it. I knew I wanted to stay local to Sheffield so I decided to search for local businesses that require my skillset. I knew of Cafeology, as they supply coffee to my university, so when I saw their advert for a graduate job I was instantly intrigued. The more I researched the company, the more I knew I needed to snap up this opportunity. I spent a long time crafting my application and CV to give me the best chance of getting to the interview stage and after two interviews I was delighted to be offered the role alongside another fellow graduate.
Biggest challenge: My biggest challenge so far has been coffee cupping. We taste all of the coffee that we roast as part of our quality control process and learning to develop my pallet to be able to distinguish between our different coffees has been a challenge. However, the guidance I have received has been outstanding and my confidence has grown massively since my first cupping session months ago.
What value do you add to the company: Studying a science at university allowed me to develop a critical, analytical mind which I can apply to any task laid before me. It also awakened a curiosity within me that helped to nurture a thirst for learning. This thirst for knowledge not only keeps me asking questions but also helps me to better understand everything I do so that I can continue to improve and excel within my role.
What does a normal day at work looks for you: The bread and butter of my role involves roasting and packing coffee at our roastery, as well as running our newly implemented composting project where we are working to reduce our black waste sent to landfill through composting. However, my role within the company does include variety such as: quality control, working at our head office, taking part in events, barista training, warehouse picking and any other duty that comes my way.
Why do you enjoy working here: I love working for a company that cares so much about the people they work with and the people they employ. I also feel like my work is valued and that I can make a real difference within the company. Moreover, the company’s commitment to the environment is very close to my heart and I look forward to working more in-depth within this area as my career progresses.
Favourite single origin coffee: Ethiopian.
How do you take your coffee: As a filter coffee, black no sugar. As an espresso, Americano or flat white.
Alastair Dolbear – Coffee Production Specialist
Degree: BA (Hons) Photography
University: Sheffield Hallam University
Your story with Cafeology: Following a degree in photography at Sheffield Hallam University, I had already identified that I wanted to assign my skillset into a new industry. My search for a job role was long and hard fought, however upon finding the role of Coffee Production Specialist at Cafeology I was completely captivated. This is where my story at Cafeology begins and week in week out my skillset is now being used, challenged and improved through a wealth of new industry experience. Now 3 months in, I am developing my role further into new challenges and projects.
Biggest challenge: The biggest challenge for me at Cafeolgy has been trying to absorb the shear quantity of new information. The coffee industry is extremely vast, diverse and at times complex and it was initially very difficult to appreciate that I can’t learn it all in a day! Now better time management and a degree of patience is allowing me to learn all areas of the coffee production process in detail.
What value do you add to the company: I am a creative, innovative and driven individual who has the ability to apply my skillset to any situation so that I can learn and overcome any obstacles. I believe my energy for what I do and my passion for this industry adds value to my role. I use my creative skills learned from my arts degree to add flare to social media and to create innovative problem solving solutions. I am an extremely sociable character and am very confident in front of customers which is one of my favourite elements of the role. My ability to adapt and willingness to learn is ultimately what has helped me succeed and develop in my role.
What does a normal day at work looks for you: A normal day at work covers all elements of the production process. Firstly, by roasting the coffee, packing the coffee and then delivering the coffee. Finally, a further element of my role is to teach people how to use the coffee correctly so we can maintain the high standard of coffee and excellent taste.
Why do you enjoy working here: The energy in the work place makes me want to get out of bed every day for work. Not only is my role extremely interesting, varied and exciting but also the fact that I am part of something far bigger and my contribution to this industry is having a positive impact on people all over the world. The new challenges I face and knowledge I have to learn motivates me and it is due to a fantastic team of people around me that I am inspired on a daily basis to do this.
Favourite single origin coffee: Ethiopian
How do you take your coffee: V60 Filter – Black
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Almost a year ago I was in London queuing to vote for our new President in Colombia when I got a phone call that was going to change a lot of my plans for the week. I was being invited to visit my home country Colombia with this UK coffee called Cafeology and the University of Sheffield (where I was finalising my master studies). What I didn’t know what the trip was in the next 48 hours, as I was covering for someone that for some personal circumstances couldn’t make it. Without giving much thought into what was about to come, I decided to take the opportunity and the next day we were on a flight to Bogota.
I met Bryan, the managing director of Cafeology during this trip and we visited the farms were this company sourced some of its coffee. Cafeology works with two farms in my home country, and I had the chance to meet both of the Head farmers Pacho and Elisabeth. It was interesting for me, as both of them come from completely different backgrounds. On the one hand Pacho, is the stereotypical coffee farmer, wearing his lovelyhat all day, born and raised in the coffee region of Pereira. But then, you have Elisabeth, which is from the indigenous region of Popayan, Cauca. A region that was hardly hit by violence and is slowly trying to build up creating opportunities for their community. We had the unique opportunity to visit the farms and the families that work there.
For me, born and raised in Colombia, it was an eye-opening experience. Sometimes we have the misconceptions of the ‘coffee companies abroad’ buying coffee from our country but not knowing who the farmers are, where they come from or the stores behind each family. But this was different. Cafeology has made a massive effort to know and understand where their coffee comes from and it was clearly visible for me during this visit.
The trip happened quite quickly and before we knew it, I was back to the University of Sheffield to hand in my dissertation. Bryan and I kept in contact and I was always admiring the work they were doing in my home country. The opportunity came along at the beginning of 2019 for me to start working part-time with Cafeology as the International Producer Development. My role consists on strengthen the links between the farmers and the consumers here in the UK. I want to work closely with the people in Colombia to show the people in the UK and everyone where a Cafeology coffee comes from. I want to show people that behind every cup of coffee there’s a story of a farm and a family that has worked for generations cultivating and producing the best coffee of the world.
I am really excited to work for a company that is constantly trying to make great coffee while maintaining suitable and lasting relationships! Keep an eye on all our platforms as I will be showing the different journeys our Cafeology and the stories behind each cup of coffee!
The trip happened quite quickly and before we knew it, I was back to the University of Sheffield to hand in my dissertation. Bryan and I kept in contact and I was always admiring the work they were doing in my home country. The opportunity came along at the beginning of 2019 for me to start working part-time with Cafeology as the International Producer Development. My role consists on strengthen the links between the farmers and the consumers here in the UK. I want to work closely with the people in Colombia to show the people in the UK and everyone where a Cafeology coffee comes from. I want to show people that behind every cup of coffee there’s a story of a farm and a family that has worked for generations cultivating and producing the best coffee of the world.
I am really excited to work for a company that is constantly trying to make great coffee while maintaining suitable and lasting relationships! Keep an eye on all our platforms as I will be showing the different journeys our Cafeology and the stories behind each cup of coffee!
Daniela Orrego
International Producer Development
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Last month we were delighted to announce that our Aviator Blend had been awarded 3 Stars at this year’s Great Taste Awards
The brief was clear, to create a coffee that was lighter (but not too light), brighter (but not too bright) and more complex than anything we had done before, while still appealing to our loyal customers and of course new clients too
After a few months of research and development, we figured out that if we blended just the right amount of Washed Arabica coffee from Honduras and Indonesia to our fabulous Natural Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, we were onto something. It then needed our Head of Coffee, Steve to develop the flavours by experimenting with new roast curves on our Diedrich IR-12 coffee roaster and before we knew it we had hit the sweet spot.
If you are not familiar with this award – Great Taste is the largest and most trusted accreditation scheme for fine food and drink. This year, 12,000 products were blind tasted by panels of specialists: top chefs, cookery writers, food critics, restauranteurs and fine food retailers. This involved over 500 judges tasting products over various categories over 60 days between March and July.
The judges can choose to award 1, 2 or 3 stars to a product to illustrate the level of quality it delivers when tasted. In 2018 only 192 products across all categories tasted won the coveted 3 Star award.
The judges comments included;
There’s an intense juicy acidity to this espresso that gives up an amazing aroma of dried fruit. The bitterness is very well balanced – earthy bitterness and notes of chocolate and tobacco. A very well rounded espresso with delicious, mouth puckering, funky, fermented notes lurking in the back.
Scott Rogers, our Speciliaty Coffee Director who headed up the project commented ‘the thing with coffee is the ingredients; the fabulous coffees grown by amazing producers across the world, are the real stars to shout about. However, the challenge we face is how to communicate this to our customers – therefore we needed a name!
I don’t know why, but naming a coffee always feels harder than naming a child – and I have two children. Firstly, coming up with a name that isn’t already taken is hard enough, then to link in images, colours… wow it made our heads hurt.
Then one Friday night, after a few craft beers (purely for research purposes – yeah right), guess what classic 80’s movie started… yes… Top Gun. After finding out that Maverick was already taken, we were then set on Aviator as a name and it stuck!
We describe this coffee as Vibrant, Sweet & Tropical on the label, but it is everything both Steve and I set out to achieve when we asked that simple question.
]]>Do you know it is ten years since the iconic Blackburn Meadows concrete cooling towers were demolished, changing forever the skyline for local residents and millions of people travelling past Sheffield on the M1?
Sheffield Cooling Towers 10 Year Anniversary
Do you know it is ten years since the iconic Blackburn Meadows concrete cooling towers were demolished, changing forever the skyline for local residents and millions of people travelling past Sheffield on the M1?
The cooling towers were built in 1938 in Tinsley and helped power the growth of one of the most advanced industrial regions in the world and became a landmark for Sheffield. However, as power stations advanced in the 60’s and 70’s, smaller sites such as Blackburn Meadows were closed and replaced by higher capacity facilities such as Drax and Ferrybridge.
Even though the facility was
demolished soon after closing in 1980, the cooling towers remained standing for almost 30 years, capturing the hearts of generations of local people and symbolised a special period in Sheffield’s illustrious history.
On Friday 24th August 2008, the inevitable happened and the cooling towers were demolished, changing the landscape of the area forever.
Fast forward 8 years and the area surrounding the Blackburn Meadows site continues to be developed and we at Cafeology launched our brand new Roastery in Vantage Park overlooking the iconic site. The Business park has been developed on former brownfield land with the help of investment from the European Regional Development Fund. The site has an Energy Performance Rate A and is powered by Solar energy.
This year in celebration of our local area and the 10 year anniversary of the towers being demolished, we have decided to rename our Roastology Signature Coffee to Cooling Towers.
This 100% Arabica, directly sourced coffee from Colombia and Costa Rica is medium roasted by our Head of Coffee and SCA Accredited Roaster Steve Hampshire. This is one of six coffees within our speciality coffee range available via our web shop or through our wholesale channel for coffee operators.
Cooling Towers Facts
– Blackburn Meadows opened 1921 –
– The Towers were built between 1937 & 1928 – – Standing 250 feet high –
– Coordinates: 53°25ʹ05ʺN 1°24ʹ17ʺW –
– Decommissioned in 1980 –
– Demolished 2008 –
What an adventure, what a time, how do I even begin to summarise……
I would like to start by thanking Cafeology for sending me on this wonderful trip and for organising all the flights and giving me the opportunity at Roastology.
This is a trip I will never forget, I have made friends for life, tried some fantastic coffee, learned so much more than I could have ever thought and got to experience the the first stage of coffee production.
It’s with the coffee production most of my thoughts are with currently. Seeing the farms, the workers, the difficulties faced everyday. Coffee production is on a decline and the demand for coffee increases each year. Global warming & climate change is having such a negative effect on the coffee production and is something we all need to take extremely seriously. As a world of coffee lovers, we need to strive to improve conditions and ensure the thing that binds us all together, our love of coffee can continue for ever. With organisations like the SCA we are working on huge amounts of research into global warming.
Another hard hitting fact is how the farmers and their staff are living. Many farm workers across the globe are living in poverty and it’s so important that with every sip of coffee you take, you think long and hard about where that coffee has come from. I think it is vital that you know and understand how and where the coffee you are drinking comes from. Ethical sourcing is paramount, understand that the hardest part of the coffee chain is the growing & processing, please make sure you do your bit to make sure the farmers receive a fair price, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to buy Fairtrade cert, as many farms don’t subscribe to the foundation but still receive an above market value price. KNOW YOUR COFFEE PEOPLE!
You wouldn't really describe me as an emotional type of chap but as I sit on the airport floor, waiting to check in, looking through the photos I have taken reminding me of the amazing adventure I have been on has almost bought a tear to my eye, almost though, I’m still cool.
I can’t speak highly enough of my experiences, some people complained about the long bus trips, I took that time to talk to people in the industry. Some people didn’t like the early starts, the late nights but again, I wanted to cram as much as I possibly could into this once in a life time experience. I got to see an active volcano, I saw genuine Indonesian culture, we were treated to welcome parties by town mayors, I made friends, we laughed, we learned we tried coffee, I saw some parts of the world only a handful of ’tourists’ will ever see. The food has been incredible, granted I won’t be having rice again for breakfast on Monday morning but I have loved it. Experience, thats what I crave in my personal & professional life, experience is what I have had.
From leaving Sheffield to sitting on the airport floor in Bali, I have had a smile on my face.
Java, Bali, you will stay in my mind and my heart forever.
A quick thanks to the organisers Mr Saff & Colin Smith, great work both. Also thanks to my fellow SCA travellers, without you guys it could have been a very different story.
I guess the next question is how I can get Cafeology to agree to send me on my next Coffee Origin adventure, apparently there is an SCA trip to Ethiopia later in the year : ) I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as i have enjoyed writing it,
For the final time in Indonesia,
Steve. Out
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