FOOD & DRINK W H AT ’ S M A K I N G T H E G O U R M E T N E W S I N B R I S T O L
Renowned through Bristol for its coffee – and for good reason
TAKE FIVE
Get Patrick Grant-Sturgis from Tradewind on Whiteladies Road talking about coffee and food and his passion shines through How and why did your business begin? My wife Tahimoana and myself started Tradewind Espresso because we both come from a food and hospitality background: cafés and restaurants, and for the previous decade, crewing on yachts. It seemed reasonable to play to our strengths in a project closer to home, particularly with the prospect of starting a family. Having travelled many coffee-growing regions we were keen specialise in quality coffee alongside a modern café brunch menu typical of NZ and Australia, where I am originally from. Where is the business now? Our café is going strong as a specialist independent, much loved by local residents, as well as attracting interest from further afield. What are you especially proud of? I like the fact that we are considered to be one of the best coffee joints in Bristol, with an equally strong menu. We are known for certain specialities such as our homemade almond milk which we press every morning. I think we’re the only café doing that! 44 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
What makes Tradewind special? We try to do everything in-house, so very little is made off site. This means our produce is fresh and we can be creative with our menu, changing ingredients and our baked offerings to suit a seasonal ingredient or for pure indulgence. We roast our own coffee, so can develop profiles which appeal to our customer base, and importantly offer our customers really highquality coffee, which other establishments possibly couldn’t afford, or would want to. We manage to absorb some of those costs in order to serve consistently great coffee. Do you see the trend for speciality coffee waning? Not at all. I think people are becoming more discerning if anything in their appreciation of good coffee. Tell us a bit about your food offering? Our menu is a fresh, vibrant take on modern café food, which draws inspiration from wholefoods and healthy living as well as different world regions. We love some of the classic café dishes and will usually
reinvent them with different herbs and spices or garnishing, which give the dishes a new lease of life, and the added bonus of appealing to a broad customer group - the dishes are familiar but new and interesting.
www.tradewindespresso.com