The third wave - lets ride that for a little while

Morning folks. We don't write on our blog very much, but today something popped into my head to write, so here we are! Following another controversy  surrounding our lovely friends at Starbucks - check out #duffingate - I got to  thinking. Do we want to constantly be haunted by this American corporation, taking money from unsuspecting children  and people who just want coffee and don't care where it comes from? I don't.

This leads to my next thought. If the way to rid ourselves of them to push forward through waves of coffee culture and look to progress our existing share of the local trade into drinking coffee from ever more niche brewing methods, or should we first aim to get a larger portion of the coffee drinking public coming to us for their daily coffee? This is surely the key.

Yes our coffee must be great. Yes we will always buy the best coffee we can, the best milk and use the best equipment. Our staff will always receive the best training we can offer. This is the Australian model, and we like it. Great espresso based coffee must become the norm, I feel, before we push any further into a 4th wave. We should enjoy this third wave, embrace it. Yes some people want syrup, yes some want sugar. Encourage them to try it without, its by building the customer relationships which we have, that we are able to do this. This will allow independents to thrive, and help us to push out the likes of Starbucks and other multinational coffee chains. Make our espresso coffee better, and our service better across the sector. Help other shops out. This will be the key to success. It worked down under: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7540480.stm - it will work here.

See you soon for a coffee!

2012!

Another year! New year's eve is upon us and we can reflect on another great year! This time in 2011, we had one shop, baked all our cakes at home each night and weren't even considering employing anybody. How times have changed!

2012 brought us 4 employees - Matt,Jess, Ryan and Brittany - working across our 2 shops! We took the decision in February to open our second shop - in the freshly christened Media District. Here we have built our own commercial kitchen bringing a bigger variety. and fresher supply of cakes to both shops.

Our original - now Artisan Quarter shop has seen great change with the introduction of a La Marzocco Linea 3 group espresso machine brought in to cope with increased demand and our drive for higher quality across the board. Our grinders were also both upgraded to Mazzer Robur and a Mahlkoenig Tanzania - two of the best grinders available. We have also built a brew bar and increased our range of brewed coffee.

Across our business, we have pushed to make our brand visible, with branded cups, aprons, increased signage and regular advertising in Cornwall Today. We've also had the opportunity to provide coffee at the Cornwall Business Fair and  Lemon Street Gallery, building a foundation for increased outside catering in 2013.



The year hasn't been without its struggles - power failures, exploded espresso machines, broken ovens and of course Jess' infamous broken collar bone. These have all added to the fun of the year and really kept us on our toes!

The new year holds a lot of promise - new equipment, Jess making her long awaited return and a weekly changing guest coffee from roasters around the UK, along with lots lots more surprises. We can't wait to see you for a coffee and a catch up in the new year, its going to be a great one!

A few images of 2012

Changes to our website will come in the new year, check it out:

www.108coffee.co.uk

follow us on twitter @108_coffee or facebook www.facebook.com/108coffee

2011 at 108

Well here we are guys, the end of the year!

We set out in July to bring something new to the world of coffee in Truro - and we think we've done it!

Bringing a relaxed environment and brilliant coffee to the city has been a massive hit, with regular customers and bloggers alike enjoying our work - here are a few links to the feedback we've had so far!

Good Cornwall Guide
Pasties and Cream
Best coffee in Cornwall shortlist

Customer Reviews...

Tripadvisor
Qype
Google

We took an empty black room on July 26th...

and turned it into what we have today...

We'll keep growing in the new year and bring you many new ideas and events!

Our website  has recently gone live, a creation from Sam at Ridgeberry, so keep checking back for new updates and more content coming soon!

We're open!

Good morning everybody! We're now up and running, ready to see you for a coffee. Our selection of home made cakes is changing every day, so pop in and see what we have to offer! The coffee's great and we deliver to all the local shops, so we'll see you soon

Free Coffee!

108 have reached 25 followers on facebook. To celebrate this and the fact that we’ll be opening in just two short weeks (eeeeek!) we’re giving away free coffee!

Simply follow us on twitter and retweet the message below and you’ll be entered into a draw to win a free cup of coffee! We’ll pick three winners on 30^th July (opening day) so you’d better get tweeting soon!

If you’re already following us on twitter (thank you!), just retweet the message.

How to Enter

1. Follow @108_coffee on twitter

2. Simply tweet “Free coffee! Just follow @108_coffee and re-tweet this for the chance to win a free coffee at 108 in Truro. http://tinyurl.com/3nlfutx"

The small print

- anyone found using multiple accounts to enter will be ineligible

- 3 individuals will be chosen at random to win 1 cup of coffee

- the winners must be able to claim their one free coffee from 108’s premises in Truro, Cornwall (we can’t post you your coffee!)

- coffee must be claimed on or before August 31st 2011

Truro's Newest Coffee Shop

108 Coffee House is opening for business on 30th July 2011. We're at 108 Kenwyn Street, Truro, Cornwall. For some great coffee and tasty homemade cake, drop by and see us!