Coffee#1, the Wales and South West chain of coffee shops owned and operated by Cardiff brewer SA Brain & Co Ltd, has won a record breaking fifth title as Coffee Bar Chain of the Year at the Café Society Awards.
The award which was announced at a prestigious ceremony at the Rooftop Gardens in Kensington, London, saw Coffee#1 beat off some of the best known names on the High Street to secure the title.
Coffee#1 was acquired by Brains in October 2011. Since then the brewer has developed the business to include 31 coffee shops across Wales and the South West, with the most recent opening in Winton, Bournemouth in May earlier this year. It has announced plans for a further four openings across the summer and a target 50 shops within three years.
The Café Society award completes a hat-trick of national industry awards for Brains which has also won Managed House Pub Company of the Year and Food Pub Company of the Year at the 2013 Publican Awards.
Philip Lay, retail director at SA Brain & Co Ltd, puts the success of Coffee#1 down to three key elements.
“We have a very simple vision driving the business,” he said. “The finest coffee, friendly service and the kind of comfortable environment where people genuinely want to spend time. We aim to be the ultimate coffee house experience.
“It’s a winning formula and the Café Society award, especially when you consider it is for the fifth year on the run, is a massive testament to the team at Coffee#1.
“Coffee#1 has been a great success story for us and we continue to invest in its development. We recently opened a dedicated training academy at Fishponds in Bristol where all of our staff receive their training as Baristas.”