Coffee pod specialist invests in growth
Northern Ireland's Pure Roast Coffee is expanding production of coffee pods to meet substantial new business in Great Britain.
The company, which has won new business this year from a major international restaurant chain for 2m Easy-Serve-Espresso pods (ESE), is increasing productivity and efficiency particularly in its coffee grinding operation.
Based at Lisburn in county Antrim, Pure Roast Coffee, which currently employs seven people, has invested almost £1m in new grinding technology targeted at foodservice organisations in Britain and further afield. It already has business in the United Arab Emirates.
New business won in Britain will further enhance its position in the premium coffee segment of a £1.4 billion market that is experiencing very strong growth.
Martin Symington, Pure Roast Coffee's managing director, says: The new business is a very exciting development for us and will see our output of ESE pods increase to around 20 million this year.
"As well as helping the company to meet the production demands arising from the new business in Britain, the improvements we are making in our grinding operations are also providing greater scope for our technical team to exploit opportunities that we've identified for new easy serve coffee products in international markets.
"Investment in state-of-the-art grinding technology is important because it will guarantee consistently high quality coffee for our pods. We believe that is what sets us apart from rivals in a very competitive marketplace.
"We are seeing a rapidly developing trend within the foodservice sector, especially in restaurants and canteens, towards coffee pods for convenience and consistency. They are very discerning customers who want the best flavoured coffee available that's on a par, if not better, than currently available from specialist providers.
"Grinding is crucially important in the production of premium quality coffee, and our investment in the new grinder builds on our focus on sourcing the best beans and the use of a convection roasting system to ensure a smooth and richly flavoured coffee," adds Mr Symington.
Pure Roast Coffee now produces around 30 blends for easy serve pods, with customers in the UK and increasingly in international markets. Key customers include manufacturers such as Dualit, foodservice organisations including Emirates Airline in Dubai. Pure Roast Coffee pods are now supplied to the airline's international network of business lounges. The company has doubled turnover on a year-on-year basis since its formation.
The company has achieved British Retail Consortium (BRC) Grade A accreditation which is enabling it to grow its business in retail and contract catering throughout the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.