ABOUT US
ALEX
My exposure to speciality coffee happened when living in Australia. My wife and I lived near Melbourne and used to visit world renowned cafes regularly. I quickly became hooked on good coffee and the atmosphere of the cafes themselves. Going for coffee became part of our lifestyle.
I decided that I wanted to learn more about coffee, how it was produced, roasted and particularly how it was made into different types of drinks. I was fortunate enough to get a job in a cafe when we moved back to England and quickly realised that I loved it. Meeting new people, learning new skills, working with a product which is so much more complex than I ever imagined.
During my time in the industry I’ve honed my skills by managing speciality coffee shops and making thousands of cups of coffee, always striving to get better and better at what I do. Working with well respected UK roasters and coffee professionals has provided a huge resource to learn from and has encouraged me to pursue my passion for good coffee.
Sam and I have known and worked with each other for a few years now and have always gotten on really well. We’d regularly discuss what our favourite cafes are like and what makes them better than others and how we had ambitions to open our own place(s) one day...somewhere inviting and calm, where people can come to relax and have a good time with friends and experience great service and consistently great tasting coffee. That’s what we’re hoping Beacon will become for us and many others.
FAVOURITE DRINK: Flat White
FAVOURITE COFFEE: Funky naturals or something experimentally processed
FAVOURITE BREWING METHOD: V60
GUILTY PLEASURE: Single Shot Flat White
SAM
My journey in coffee began at Christmas four years ago. A family friend visiting for the holidays was incredibly enthusiastic about home brewing and had his pourover kit with him including a hand grinder, cone dripper and a Kenyan filter coffee roasted by Square Mile (Gathiga AA to be precise, some how I remember that). Needless to say the coffee was completely different from anything I’d ever had before, I can’t say I loved it but it wasn’t unpleasant. What I did enjoy was the process, the grinding, weighing, timing and general information overload appealed instantly.
A year or so later I was lucky enough to get a part time job in a specialty coffee shop while at university which gave me the opportunity and support for me practice and hone my skills. Once I graduated I took on a full time managers position again affording me the chance to grow and learn a great deal about the café as a business and where it sat in the industry.
Now its time for something new, Alex and I have always talked about opening cafes, whether together or as individuals, its something we’re passionate about and they’re some of the places we most enjoy and look forward to visiting. Over time what became apparent was that our passions and ethics are very much aligned; we want to love what we do, make people happy and serve a top-notch cup of coffee.
FAVOURITE DRINK: Filter
FAVOURITE COFFEE: Washed Kenyan
FAVOURITE BREWING METHOD: Aeropress
GUILTY PLEASURE: Extra Foamy Comp Cap