Let’s Celebrate Local!

By Rory Ireland who is the sales director of Bristol Twenty Coffee Co.

How are you feeling about your business?  

We have tried to remain positive throughout these tough times and we are positive that business will pick up and come back stronger than before.    

How are you feeling about business in general? 

I think there are some further tough times ahead for a lot of people, and we may not have seen the worse, but by working together we can get through this. 

Tell us three ways in which you now apply this phrase to your business and/or life ‘buy local supply local’. 

Obviously, coffee is a tough one to be local. However, we try to buy as much else from as many local companies as we can. 

In general, our supply area is very local and we are able to be with our customers quickly if needed. 

We have encouraged people to buy from us and can collect from the roastery.

What has changed for you positively as a result of lockdown? 

It improved our retail market dramatically and it gave us the time to have a bit of a rebrand on our packaging, which we think looks great. We have also had the time to streamline processes and improve efficiency.

Tell us what, for you, makes a ‘good’ local business.  

We love working with people that have a sense of community, be it your local village or the coffee community as a whole. Businesses that want to see other around them thrive as much as they do make good local businesses as well as decent people. 

Can you name a local business which you support around food & drink? 

The Bath Pub Company - https://www.thebathpubcompany.com

Can you name a local business which you support around clothing or accessories? 

Dean Forest Cycles - http://www.deanforestcycles.co.uk

Can you name a local business which you support around health, wellbeing or fitness? 

Ashton Gate Stadium - https://www.ashtongatestadium.co.uk/the-venue/shopping/

Can you shout out to three local clients you wish to celebrate? 

1. Coffee & Crepe Cabin has stayed open the whole time and been a rock - https://coffeecabin.club

2. The Occasional Kitchen for providing Southmead Hospital and an emergency kitchen - https://www.theoccasionalkitchen.com

3. UWE for providing the pop-up Nightingale hospital - https://www.uwe.ac.uk 

Can you shout out to three local suppliers you wish to celebrate? 

1. Beyond the Bean  - http://www.beyondthebean.com

2. Westbury Packaging - https://www.westbury-pkg.co.uk

3. Astrum Accountants - https://astrum.accountants

Can you name anyone in business who has really had your back over the months? 

My sister Kate and brother Chris who are the other directors, although they were furloughed, they were a huge support mentally.

Can you name on person in your life who has really helped you during this time? 

My husband Guy has been an absolute star during a very tough time. 

What are your business plans for Q4? 

Pull our belts in, heads down and try to get the business back to where it was at the beginning of the year. 

Any special offers you would like to mention? 

Currently on the web shop we are running 10% off our charity blend 21TEN. £1 from each kilo sold goes to Above & Beyond the Bristol hospital charity.

Find out more by visiting their website, https://bristol-twenty.co.uk/