A move from the leisure industry into running a coffee shop has been a good one for Mike Lowe, especially when he discovered Blendly.
Having previously run Bingo Halls and pubs, Mike acquired the former MacDonalds in Kirkcaldy High Street five years ago, and set up Cupcake Coffee Box.
A year into the business, he met Blendly founder Mark Wilson who set him on the path with commercial roaster and blender, Blendly, enabling him to create his own custom blends of coffee based on Italian blends similar to that used by Lavazza, one of his favourite brands.
Mike now has several blends, including the Cupcake Coffee Box Artisan Blend, the Bad Boy Blend and BlackNBrewed. All these blends are now sold on the Blendly website as an additional stream of income for Mike as the creator. His customers at Cupcake Coffee Box can order the coffee through Blendly, or direct in the coffee shop by scanning QR codes.
Mike sells his blends to a number of friends along with two other franchisees.
Plans are afoot for him to launch another blend which he is going to call “Three Beans Coffee Co”. Another Italian blend, it will mix Columbian beans with Indian Cherry and Ugandan Robusta, but with some subtle variations.
So far, COVID-19 has prevented him from opening his new outlet at Kirkcaldy Train Station, which will offer Three Beans, and he has another cafe in the pipeline too.
I’d recommend Blendy to any coffee shop owners. The platform is engaging, easy to use, and once you take up a Barista Plan there are numerous financial and community benefits to enjoy.
He’s also launching a Coffee Concierge Service which will see him set up a coffee service for other businesses, providing the coffee, and sourcing & training the staff.
“Blendly has opened up a new world of coffee opportunities for me,” said Mike. “My customers love my blends, and I am hopeful that as soon as we can recover from the ravages of COVID-19, I can be successful with my new ventures, and go on to launch yet more blends.”
“Blendly has given me the coffee knowledge, access to fantastic quality beans, and the tools to create what is in effect a separate business for myself.”
“I’d recommend Blendy to any coffee shop owners. The platform is engaging, easy to use, and once you take up a Barista Plan there are numerous financial and community benefits to enjoy.”