Collaboration at Cup North — creating markets and making friends

Manchester, a city famous for its industrial revolution, football teams, Oasis… — but not, up until now, it’s thriving specialty coffee scene.

Cup North took place on the first weekend in November and attracted some of the country’s best specialty roasters to the two day coffee event in Salford’s ‘Artworks’ — a converted warehouse absolutely made to host a coffee festival.

The independent specialty coffee scene is still evolving in parts of the UK, particularly in the North. We’ve found a select number of roasters and independent coffee shop owners on the front line fighting to get more and more people drinking better coffee, with a better understanding of its provenance.

One thing that became overwhelmingly clear over the course of the weekend that we spent at Cup North was the very real collaboration between Manchester’s coffee roasters.

We believe the key to success is to work with people who may be your competitors but who can help spread the same message so that it reaches more ears and starts to sink in. By doing so, specialty coffee is made to be more approachable and welcoming, reaching a wider audience and creating a market we can all operate in.

It was fantastic to meet up with so many of our friends and see them doing what they do best and we look forward to more coffee events taking place in those areas of the UK which require a caffeinated boost to the local specialty coffee scene.

Hols