2023 - A Year To Refresh

For those of you who have been following The Garden Roastery for a while, you may remember that this time last year I was feeling pretty deflated.  My beautiful old roast machine (Daisy) had been struggling with breakdowns and was needing significant maintenance.  I felt like I had lost my coffee mojo with repair times and costs affecting my small business.  

So, after some soul searching, I decided that rather than dwell on the negatives I needed to take control. After spending some time thinking of all the things that I love about what I do, and remembering to consider the skills I have (and those that I don’t) I started planning.  Shortly after which I was delighted to be asked if I would be interested in supplying my first catering contract and The Garden Roastery coffee became available at the lovely Chataways Tea Room and Shop.  From then my energy grew.  ​

In March I spent time at the CoffeeMind Academy in Copenhagen (pictured with the wonderful Morten Munchow below) to refresh my roasting skills and excitement.   Following my trip, I made a big purchasing decision to buy a new roast machine, to enable increased production and reduce risks in the business, and soon took delivery of an Aillio Bullet (Mindy) pictured below.  

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It’s not all been plain sailing, I have continued to balance the demands of a small business with a busy corporate career, which I love and at times I have certainly overstretched myself.    Additionally, the doubling in price of green (unroasted) coffee beans around the world has stretched every roaster to the limit.  Trying to manage costs, in order to keep prices affordable for customers, is an ongoing challenge.
So, what’s next? You may ask.  Here I am again at year end - trying to step back, take a look at the bigger picture and focus on my priorities.  For 2024, I would like to commence a series of coffee events, spend time at a fully operational coffee plantation and continue to refine my skills, whilst maintaining the heart of the business - to provide high quality fresh roast speciality coffee to my wonderful customers.   
So, thanks for coming along for the ride and here’s to the next 12 months.  ​