If you’re currently searching for a wholesale coffee partner, an obvious but important question you’ll need to answer is “who are the top coffee suppliers in the UK?”
While we’re confident that our coffee solutions are amongst the best in the UK, we’re acutely aware that we may not be the best fit for everyone. Having been in the industry for 30 years, we have a pretty good hold on the top UK coffee companies, including who to recommend and who to avoid.
The last thing we want is for any of our customers to experience buyer’s remorse.
So, in case you are still researching the different coffee supplier options, we’ve compiled a list of the best wholesale coffee businesses in the UK that you might want to also consider.
Bridge Coffee Roasters
Based just outside of Cardiff, Wales, Bridge Coffee Roasters provide wholesale coffee solutions through their brand champion programmes, SCA barista training, Coffee Equipment and Espresso Machine leasing, UK-wide service and maintenance cover, and wholesale fresh roasted specialty coffee.
Founded in 1985 by Bernard Devenish, Bridge initially sourced coffee beans and brought knowledge to the industry through barista training for high street coffee shops during the boom of coffee culture in the 90s.
Now run by sons Max and Darryl, Bridge Coffee Roasters provide a range of services to customers in hospitality, retail, healthcare and education. Bridge seek to empower their partners in producing great coffee every time by tackling the issue of consistency via their brand champion programmes, barista training courses and a roaming team of field service engineers.
Bridge Coffee Roasters are committed to supporting the communities who grow their coffee through initiatives and certifications including their Fairtrade coffee range Roots, direct trade relationships with farmers, and gender equality programmes in working with Café Femenino.
Bewley’s Tea & Coffee UK
Bewley’s are leading wholesale coffee and tea suppliers in the food service and retail sectors and are market leaders in hot beverage solutions for over 4000 hotels across Ireland.
Originally founded in Dublin by Charles and Samuel Bewley in 1840 as tea merchants, Bewley’s joined the coffee trade towards the end of the 19th Century. With its base still in Dublin today, Bewley’s now operates across the UK having acquired a number of food service and speciality coffee suppliers since 2011.
Today, Bewley’s supplies businesses in the UK and IE with a range of blend and single origin coffees, speciality teas, hot chocolates, sauces, syrups, baked goods, snacks and chocolates along with barista tools, coffee equipment and café stocking essentials.
Bewley’s are committed to ethical sourcing and limiting their impact on the environment. They were the first Irish company to achieve a fairtrade mark and today are the largest supplier of Fairtrade coffee in Ireland. Bewley’s also supports the Rainforest Alliance and sets continuous targets to reduce their impact when it comes to water, energy, waste and greenhouse gasses.
UCC Coffee UK & Ireland
UCC is a globally recognised international coffee supplier, providing coffee partnership solutions to businesses largely in the retail and hospitality sectors.
Founded in Japan in 1933, UCC is the seventh largest coffee roastery in the world and responsible for $2bn in sales annually. UCC has been delivering coffee solutions in the UK and Europe for over 20 years, supplying customers in hospitality and retail under their ‘seed-to-sip’ model for their coffee, equipment and services.
Ueshima Coffee Co (UCC) are known for having introduced the world’s first canned coffee in 1969, and now operates globally with arms across the coffee industry from farm to café. Their UK head office is based in Milton Keynes, with the roastery based in Dartford.
UCC are known for their tailored approach to working in partnership with their customers, guaranteeing customer satisfaction and coffee excellence through selecting the right equipment, coffee and support structure for every situation. Services included under their ‘Total Coffee Solution’ offering are branded white label coffee, data driven training and insight, equipment, and UK wide coverage for servicing and maintenance.
Tchibo Coffee UK
Tchibo is a German chain of coffee retailers and cafés, founded in Hamburg in 1949, now providing wholesale coffee services to businesses across the UK and internationally.
After becoming the market leader in Germany at the turn of the millennium, Tchibo began to expand into other nations. However, as a retail chain, Tchibo did not take hold of the UK and US markets as it was predicted, and the planned entry into the US market was eventually cancelled. In 2009, Tchibo announced it would close all UK stores and transitioned into online retail.
Tchibo Coffee UK now offers a package of coffee solutions for businesses across industries including hotels offices, education, catering and leisure. Roasting their own coffee under several brands and providing a unique range of coffee equipment, Tchibo has built a reputation on providing competitive services at an affordable price point.
The online shop has now closed to allow the business to focus on its core effort of supplying products and services to business partners across the UK.
Matthew Algie
Matthew Algie is the holistic coffee partner positioned towards the high street café, providing sustainably produced coffee, professional training and the UK and Ireland’s largest range of coffee machines.
‘Born and bred in Glasgow’, Matthew Algie was founded in 1864 and its roastery is still based there today. The company has a heavy lean towards sustainability and concious business practices having achieved the Carbon Neutral International Standard for four years running, being a Living Wage employer, and engaging with the coffee community through donating and raising money for several foundations, charities and trusts for the benefit of the wider coffee industry.
The company was sold to Tchibo in 2016 with the aim of retaining its unique branding and history whilst tapping into the scale and reach of the German-based parent company.
Matthew Algie has a long history of supporting independent cafes, having launched a sister company Espresso Warehouse in 1997 to support the rise of the smaller coffee bars.
The company now additionally sells its range of coffee, under various brands and as a white label service, to bars, restaurants, hotels and a range of other business. Other services include coffee machine hire, equipment, a team of field-service engineers, and SCA accredited barista training courses at training campuses in London, Glasgow and Dublin.
So, there is our top recommended list of UK coffee suppliers that you may want to look into as part of your research process. If you’re still unsure of the best coffee partner for you, we’ll be happy to provide our top recommendations based on your needs.