EP Magazine

The Coffee Geeks

ARMED WITH LITTLE MORE THAN A CREDIT CARD AND A DREAM, SIBLINGS – AND SELF CONFESSED COFFEE GEEKS - NICK, ANDREW AND LAURA TOLLEY OPENED THE FIRST “TAYLOR STREET BARISTAS” IN RICHMOND IN 2006. NOW WITH FIVE OUTLETS BETWEEN LONDON AND BRIGHTON AND THE SIXTH READY TO OPEN ITS DOORS BEFORE YEAR END, THE TOLLEY FAMILY HAVE CREATED A UNIQUE OFFERING WITH A GROWING AND LOYAL CUSTOMER BASE. ARLENE TOBIN MEETS BROTHERS NICK AND ANDREW TOLLEY AT THEIR SHOP ON OLD BROAD STREET, LONDON, EC1 TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THEIR STORY AND WHAT MAKES THEM SO PASSIONATE

Looking at the typical British high street now, it’s almost impossible to remember what it resembled in the days before Starbucks, Costa Coffee, Prêt a Manger and Café Nero amongst others. The morning coffee routine has become a staple for many. Be it latte, cappuccino or espresso, most of us feel the need for a caffeine kick to start the day. For the Tolley siblings however, there was still something missing. Coming from Australia, where, says Andrew “the bean and the barista are practically one”, the Tolleys’ expected more than just a coffee. Andrew continued “So much of the value of a cup of coffee is the barista – the best machines and the best beans mean nothing if the barista doesn’t know what they’re doing.”

And so they took it upon themselves to create something new and exciting for the coffee lovers of London. The company name in itself is indicative of the passion the Tolleys’ feel for coffee, a trait they look for in their staff too. Barista quality is a major focal point for the company’s service delivery. Andrew explains, “The people in our team are all coffee lovers. They know and appreciate what good coffee is”. Every customer facing member of the team has trained for no less than six months before being allowed to serve. Knowledge of the bean; the roast; the ideal temperature at which milk will froth – all these things are taught first and foremost before an employee commences a customer facing role.

Where the Tolleys’ offerings are quite different to that of similar operators is the story of how the business started in the first instance. Initially the business plan focused on creating a high-end deli concept with an excellent coffee offering for City workers, but that turned quickly into a coffee bar serving excellent coffee by qualified baristas in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. Nick says the change of direction came about when he realised that the most profitable square footage in any deli or café was that which housed the coffee machine. So what if they could create a business focused on the thing they were most passionate about and with all of the floor space attaining maximum profitability?

There are currently five Taylor Street Barista units open for business, including one in Brighton. The original concession in Richmond was closed in 2011 as the store in which it was located was forced out of business amid the current economic downturn, but the sixth site due to open is also in the area. “It’s not necessarily the best or most profitable location, but Richmond has a huge emotional and sentimental draw for us, so we’re going back as much out of loyalty as anything else!”, reflects Andrew.

This somewhat ad-hoc attitude is apparent throughout our meeting. As Nick put it “Our business plans have always been somewhat organic. Opportunities present themselves in different and unsuspecting ways, so we evaluate each one as and when it comes along”. The brothers term themselves ‘lifestyle entrepreneurs’. They will open the next Taylor Street unit in a city or location in which they themselves could imagine themselves living – city centre locations targeting young professionals and with passing weekend trade. So NewYork, Berlin and a city location in Switzerland among others are all on the list of potential locations.

The first opportunity to expand from concessions into shops came about in the form of a pop-up opportunity in Shepherd’s Bush. Says Nick: “The experience of spending three months in that unit turned out to be invaluable. We learned a lot about the product, the placement and what our customers wanted from us – for example people told us they loved the coffee but the shop was located on the wrong end of their tube journey. They wanted their coffee in the morning as they departed the tube, not as they were boarding.”

Armed with this knowledge the seemingly fearless threesome started actively seeking out central and City locations and have subsequently opened shops in Bank, Liverpool Street, Shoreditch and Mayfair. On an average day they will serve over 1,300 units of coffee in the Bank outlet alone. So what is it that drives them?

The brothers and sister team have each carved out their own separate roles and responsibilities within the business. Laura, being the artistic one, has control over the website; the café décor and all things menu design. Nick is very much the business mind, controlling the search for new venues; the finance and legal aspects of the business and all other business operating procedures. Andrew then is the coffee guru. He has personally over-seen the training of all team members up to barista standard and is himself a trainer at the London school of coffee and a judge for the UK Barista Championships. His passion is evident, and it’s for more than just training the baristas.

Taylor Street Baristas place a lot of weight in the importance of sustainability and ethical trading. Having sourced a supplier with similar business ethics, they say that while coffee beans are purchased solely on quality, the promotion of socially responsible trading is also very important.

Nick and Andrew are simultaneously similar and yet quite different individuals. As only brothers do, they can finish each others sentences; follow one another’s train of thought and pick up where one finishes off. They clearly have a passion for the business and a focus that runs parallel. What the future holds for Taylor Street Baristas is yet to be seen but in the time that we’re sitting together, there is rarely a moment that any one of the twenty something tables in the café is empty – a good sign for 3pm on a Monday afternoon and a fair indicator that people must like what they’re doing.