Dialled In

In this first episode of the new series, Luke & Alice catch up with Celeste Wong (The Girl in the Cafe [https://www.thegirlinthecafe.co.uk/]) who tells all about her journey in speciality coffee in New Zealand & London, we discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on the industry and look forward to next year's Kent Coffee Festival, where Celeste will be joining us! Born in Dunedin, New Zealand, Celeste is has held top positions in leading artisan cafes all over the world for over a decade. Since migrating to the UK, she has been listed as one of London’s top five Baristas in The Financial Times and noted for her excellence in a plethora of other publications. With an Honors degree in Commerce & Design she is also an actress, with notable success in her roles in front of the camera, including her last feature-film becoming the highest grossing independent film of the year in New Zealand that won multiple awards internationally. Celeste is an influencer, produces and curates social media content for her own platform and other brands.  She writes and consults on a range of services for cafes and lifestyle brands. She also has her own brand of Coffee Beans available via her online webshop [https://www.thegirlinthecafe.co.uk/] which supplies cafes, offices and homes.

In this episode, we discuss how we all got into speciality coffee and share our first coffee experiences. We also catch up with Chase from Coffee Curiosity, who runs a small shop in the heart of Canterbury. We discuss taking that leap of faith in opening a new shop and how he has developed his business since opening in 2017.

In a slight change to our format, in this episode Luke, Alice, James & Rosie have an extended chat about working in a small business and the highs and lows that come with it. Luke also discusses how Garage Coffee came about, and some advice for people looking to start a new business in the future.

In this episode we have an in depth conversation about packaging in the coffee industry and debate the different benefits of recyclable vs compostable vs biodegradable. We also catch up with Matt & Jess, a husband & wife business duo from Whitstable. Together they work in the creative sector, with Matt in photography & Jess in make up. As their businesses developed they decided to launch a joint package for weddings, and they discuss how that works for them as well as the trials and tribulations of running a small business. You can follow them on Instagram @mattebbagephoto and @jesshawkinsmakeup

In this episode, we take our first listener question and discuss going  cash-free in our shops post COVID-19 and then we catch up with Adam Pagor from Grain & Hearth in Whitstable about opening a brand new bakery by the seaside.