HANNAH DAVIES: COFFEE GURU

How did you get into the world of coffee?

I’ve worked in the coffee industry since graduating university, originally working at a coffee shop in Liverpool and I was hooked from the get-go. This was back in the day when latte art and specialty coffee was very much a London-centric thing and it wasn’t really popular up north yet. I was quite involved as the industry started to grow and become formed in the North so I became quite established in the northern coffee scene.

I worked in coffee shops, then I went to work for a coffee roastery and I was a coffee trainer for a long time teaching people how to be a barista and brew a proper cup. After that I started running events in the evenings such as coffee tastings and latte art throwdowns, and completely got the bug for bringing people together and building that community in Manchester. I went to work for a coffee association, managing conferences for them and then started Manchester Coffee Festival in 2014.

Okay, what’s a ‘Latte art throwdown’?

It’s just a lot of baristas in a cafe, pouring latte art in a competition against each other! It’s normally structured in ‘knockout’ rounds, until there’s no one left and you get a winner. 

What initially sparked your love of coffee?

The competitions. I saw James Hoffman representing the UK in the World Barista Championships. The competition consists of presenting an espresso, a milk based drink and a signature drink all in 15 minutes to four judges, who judge you on your technical and sensory skills. When I saw James Hoffman win, I just loved it and wanted to be a part of it!

As well as the creative side of coffee, I loved pouring latte art and also enjoyed the customer service side of it. I competed a few times in the UK Barista Championships, so that was part of my journey in the early days. The competition element is a really important part of the coffee industry for people who are just starting out. It’s an incredible way to learn and to connect with your community and share knowledge because often times as a barista or roaster you are just stuck in your coffee shop or roastery and you don’t always have the opportunity to get out and meet with other people and develop your skills.

For those of us who are just drinking generic coffee out of a tin, what are we missing out on?

There are so many different flavours and ways of brewing which makes experimenting with coffee so exciting! You can also find stories attached to coffee. When you buy a ‘single origin’ for example, you’ll know where that coffee came from and the story behind it and how it was processed - whether it was dried or used in a wet process or an experimental process and I think that is the draw for a lot of people. On the flip side, I think people can be put off by specialty coffee as it isn’t what they’re used to, if the coffee tastes a bit fruity or boozy, if it’s not the familiar coffee taste, it can put people off and that can be a huge barrier for the specialty coffee industry. That’s why I try to really encourage the exhibitors at Manchester Coffee Festival to be accessible and not to use all the lingo so that they make it easier for the consumer to understand what it’s all about and hopefully remove this barrier.

Who are the stand-out, local roasters that would you recommend?

The guys over at Heart & Graft roasters in Newton Heath, Manchester. They have a roastery and a training school and are trying to do things in a really accessible way and talk about coffee in a way that’s easy to understand. One of the owners, James, is speaking at the Manchester Coffee Festival this year. I would really recommend their coffee as a good starting point.

What’s the coffee scene like in Manchester?

Growing all the time, it’s incredible. Even walking around Manchester today, I’ve seen so many coffee shops that five years ago were just starting out and now they’re expanding and have multiple sites open.

What made you want to set up the Manchester Coffee Festival?

In 2014, the London Coffee Festival had already been going for a couple of years and was established as the must-attend UK coffee event for industry people. However, I saw that there was so much going on in the northern coffee scene that we could definitely have our own event, more tailored to our needs.

The London Coffee Festival was always organised by a big events company and not by people who had worked in the coffee industry so I saw an opportunity to create an event that considered the real needs of coffee people. That was always our goal, to create an event that people really want to attend and I’m proud to say that it actually has become that. It’s a really highly regarded event within the industry and people always say it’s a great experience to exhibit in partnership with us.

Who is the festival for?

It’s an event for consumers and our goal has always been to educate people on the value of specialty coffee and to make coffee accessible for everyone.

What’s the journey been like from the first one until now?

I knew nothing about running events in 2014, I was a coffee trainer and had little experience in this world. I’ve learnt so many lessons about finances, the logistics of running an event and the legal side of things along the way. I’m grateful for all the people that have been on the journey with us and especially Ricardo Gandara who I started Cup North and the festival with in 2014. He is no longer connected to the business of the festival but is still a big advocate of what we do and continues to do great things within the industry as the Head of Coffee at Takk.

What are the highlights of the festival?

The programme is jam-packed, there are loads of fun things to do. We have loads of really interesting coffee related talks so people can learn more about coffee such as how it developed in the Caribbean and how people in the coffee industry struggle with gender diversity. We have a tasting room where you can join tastings with coffee experts. We have a private workshop area this year where you can get unique experiences such as a barista class and a coffee and cocktails making class. There’s just loads going on, it’s a really good value day out.

We’ve also been working really hard on our accessibility plan and we’ve introduced quite a few measures, such as BSL interpreters at all our talks, and headsets for people who are hard of hearing. We really value all of our attendees and their specific needs and we’re working really hard to ensure everyone has a good time.

What are the plans for the future of Cup North and the festival?

Next year we’re excited to be hosting our Coffee Festival in both Birmingham and Glasgow as well as Manchester of course. The company is growing and I’ve just hired my first employee and am looking to hire someone else, so it’s all really exciting.

Lastly, I know it’s difficult but give us your favourite coffee shop in Manchester?

I love Takk, they are one of my faves. It’s my happy place, I always get looked after. Also Siop Siop, the donut place on Tib Street, the coffee is always spot on there.

Follow @Manchestercoffeefestival to stay up to date on all things coffee and be the first to book your tickets for next year’s festivals in Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow.

Manchester Stories is an ongoing passion project by Blossom Manchester.

For more information or to get involved email: ruby@blossommanchester.co.uk