It was the beginning of April and I felt more excited as the London Coffee Festival drew closer. This is a wonderful event for many reasons and not just coffee, it’s also about innovation, sustainability and team work. This year I saw the festival with different eyes. Perhaps it’s because my role with Perkee coffee has grown so much? I was keen to soak it all in and look for the important new ideas I can use to strengthen our offering.

It was great to see a focus on sustainability and customer service as well as equipment and innovation. It was pretty much still about wowing baristas with their new gadgets and sparkly coffee machines. But it’s also about sharing the different coffee brands and their views.

Most of the coffee brands focused on their supply chain and relationships with farmers. This is something we wouldn’t have seen much of 3 years ago. Or maybe it wasn’t so obvious back then? This new wave, where sustainability is as important as the quality of the product and the brand image is a positive change and shows better ethics. I like to think that we helped with this movement when we launched Perkee Fairtrade coffee. Through brands like Perkee we could bring a High Street coffee perception into the B&I sector. Who knows, one day we may showcase Perkee Coffee in a big events like the London Coffee Festival?

There is so much to learn and explore in our industry. There is a willingness from great quality suppliers to collaborate and work with us. We are moving in a very positive direction, promoting our brand and theirs (when the team works, the dream works).