COFFEE SUPPLIERS/ROASTERS
BLAZING A TRAIL One man is helping FCB Coffee make a real difference to the specialty coffee industry, while refusing to compromise on taste and ambitions around sustainability. TRANSPARENCY TEST FCB Coffee is a business with a conscience. In November 2023, for every hot drink bought as a gift for someone in the queue, FCB donated £1 to charity. Having started out with a kiosk back in 1998, it’s all part of the outlook for a brand that now has 10 sites across London and the South East. Core values are inherent in the specialty coffee market, such as sustainability and traceability of products. That’s why FCB works with PLOT Roasting, that names coffees after the producers that grow them – and only deals with direct trade, making the supply chain from the farmer to hoppers transparent. “Predominantly in a takeaway environment, we must use the most sustainable products out there,” said David Dempsey, FCB head of coffee – who also trained as a butcher and fishmonger at Waitrose straight out of school, before caffeine took over. “We take immense pride in serving our coffee in plastic-free cups with fully recyclable lids made of card, working closely with supplier, Wyse Packaging, 32
on innovative sustainable solutions. Also, for the past four years, we have partnered exclusively with milk supplier Northiam Dairy – an incredibly small, family run business farm in Kent, who have been breeding cattle for over 100 years. We know the team (and cows) by name. Their experience on how to keep cattle happy and healthy delivers some of the best milk around. “We prioritise working with kind, like-minded people and brands that match our values. Beyond our longstanding partners, this is evident in our newer relationships. One example is Moma oat milk. Ensuring all our coffees and drinks can be made vegan is standard at FCB. So many oat milks came onto the market, we did blind taste testing and realised very quickly that MOMA stood out, both for our customer and working with a barista. “We’re happy to say we were the first coffee shop chain they connected with. Watching them go from strength to strength with their latest partnership with Gail’s fills us with pride. “Additionally, Sproud had been on our radar. Then, last year we were
blown away by their team and research into who we were and our values. Sproud is dedicated to low-climate impact and sustainability and has been granted an ISO 26000. This recognition, matched with immense support to launch a range of signature drinks and food across our business, led us to replacing our soy option with Sproud.” QUESTION OF CHOICE While the topic of milk is a hot one in the sector, Dempsey can see a trend emerging: “The reduction of alternative milk options that coffee shops will offer. This market, although important and progressive, has become quite saturated. It leads to extra bar space, storage, jugs, cloths, cost and potential wastage. I believe more coffee shops will limit their offering to just a ‘health choice’ (soy, which will be free/ included in the price) and a ‘lifestyle choice’ (most likely oat at an extra cost) to sit along dairy.” He can also see a reduction of milk consumption overall, with the ‘supersize me’ days (16oz) dissipating. “Milk itself is a bitter blocker and helps
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08/02/2024 17:31