Category Archives: UK

New research: Exploring coffee consumption and the impact of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions

Until recently the UK had a thriving coffee shop culture, with most high streets offering a range of different independent and chain coffee shop outlets. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic began to take hold, fewer people were leaving home until … Continue reading

Posted in research, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Working together towards a circular economy: life beyond the cup of coffee

There are many different definitions of the circular economy, which at their core they have the same thing in common: the reduction of waste, and the movement away from a linear economy which operates on a take-make-consume-throwaway model (Ellen Macarthur … Continue reading

Posted in Cafe Culture, circular economy, Coffee, coffee cups, Coffee industry, Commentaries, Consumers, environment, Germany, Innovation, research, Sustainability, Technology, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

New research summary published: The coffee shop industry and the circular economy

There are many different definitions of the circular economy, which at their core have the same thing in common: the reduction of waste, and the movement away from the linear economy which operates on a take-make-consume-throwaway model. Many have recognised … Continue reading

Posted in circular economy, Coffee, coffee culture, coffee cups, Disposable cups, Germany, Publications, Reports, research, Sustainability, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

From coffee grounds to grand designs – talking about coffee shops and the circular economy at the RGS conference

In London this week the Royal Geographical Society hosted its Annual Conference with an overarching theme of Geographies of trouble / geographies of hope. This year I presented some of my research in a session on Sustainablity, re-use and waste. … Continue reading

Posted in circular economy, Coffee, coffee culture, Conferences, Disposable cups, Germany, Reports, Sustainability, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Cup Fund has launched – seeking new ideas for coffee cup recycling

Disposable coffee cups have recently been in the news again. This time it’s because of a new effort to try and increase coffee cup recycling – The Cup Fund –  a £1 million funding scheme to kick start some ideas … Continue reading

Posted in Cafe Culture, circular economy, coffee culture, coffee cups, Coffee industry, environment, Starbucks, Sustainability, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Revisiting ‘Cafe Nation: Exploring the growth of the UK cafe industry’ – journal article made free to read until 2020

Back in March 2018 I found out that one of my articles ‘Cafe Nation: Exploring the growth of the UK cafe industry‘ in the journal Area had been identified as one of the most downloaded, and so was made free … Continue reading

Posted in Cafe Culture, Commentaries, High Streets, Journal article, Publications, UK | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

New publication: From bean to cup and beyond: exploring ethical consumption and coffee shops

To finish off the year on the café spaces blog, a new article drawing on our research around the coffee shop industry and ethical consumption has been published in the Journal of Consumer Ethics. As part of a special issue … Continue reading

Posted in Cafe Culture, circular economy, Coffee, Consumers, environment, Journal article, Publications, research, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Coffee and communities: Well Grounded – The Specialty Coffee Training Academy

As I’ve explained before on the ‘cafespaces’ blog, the coffee and coffee shop industries have the potential to impact various communities; an important route for doing so is through the activities of social enterprises. A great example is Well Grounded, … Continue reading

Posted in Cafe Culture, Careers, coffee culture, Coffee industry, community, Economic Impact, Social Enterprises, Specialty Coffee, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

From pub to coffee shop: changing habits?

The number of pubs in the UK is in decline. The BBC reported that in the second half of 2017, around 18 pubs were closing every week, according to data from The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). There are a … Continue reading

Posted in Cafe Culture, Cafe types, coffee culture, Coffee industry, community, Consumers, Costa Coffee, UK, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Coventry’s First Coffee Festival: Fargo Coffee Festival

There’s a growing number of coffee festivals taking place across the UK (and in other countries too), with many starting to emerge in smaller towns and cities. The weekend of 15th and 16th September saw the first coffee festival taking … Continue reading

Posted in Cafe Culture, Coffee, coffee culture, Coffee industry, coventry, Festivals, UK, Urban spaces | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment