We at The MALESTROM, like many in the UK, are seriously passionate about our coffee. Aside from needing it to taste great (obvs) we also want the coffee we drink to be ethically sourced and sustainable. Which are just two of the reasons for choosing our latest Meet the Brand.
The award winning Chimney Fire Coffee is the brainchild of Dan Webber. Founded in 2017 out of his garden shed, the Surrey roasters have quickly become synonymous with ethically sourced specialty coffee.
We caught up with company founder Dan to find out about how Chimney Fire Coffee came to life, how they’ve managed to stand out in a crowded market and their big hopes moving into the future. Let’s Meet the Brand.
The MALESTROM: We’re all about championing brands we love here at The MALESTROM, why don’t you tell our readers a bit about Chimney Fire Coffee and how the business came about?
Dan Webber: Chimney Fire Coffee is a B Corp certified speciality coffee roastery based in Surrey. We produce and supply ethical coffee products and subscriptions for home consumers, and provide business customers (coffee outlets, retails stores and offices) with an end-to-end service, including coffee beans, machinery, barista training, and corporate coffee experiences.
I started the business 5 years ago after working in coffee and cocoa traceability in Ghana and began in a garden shed. We’re now a team of 6, all passionate about coffee and growing a sustainable business.
TM: What are some of the pitfalls you’ve faced along the way?
DW: It’s not been the easiest time for any business, with Brexit, COVID and now the recent cost of living crisis. In 2018 we did an equity Crowdfunding raise for an office subscription model. This didn’t pan out as expected due to COVID, which also affected our wholesale business, however we were able to pivot and focus on the home subscription market and are grateful for all of our loyal customers.
We now face increasing costs due to a combination of supply chain problems and inflation. The biggest driver comes from the weak GBP because we buy our coffee in USD. Although we can protect this to some extent, the recent swings have meant that our coffee prices have increased significantly. We’re working hard not to pass these costs onto our customers.
TM: Tell us more about your products?
DW: Our coffee range includes 8 mainstay coffees, a rolling monthly ‘Discovery Coffee’ (where each month we introduce a new and interesting coffee from around the world), and most recently our Nespresso® compatible compostable coffee pods. We also offer coffee immersion tours at our roastery and run off-site coffee experiences, and collaborate with talented local brands and makers and create new products including cycle jerseys, coffee-chocolate and coffee candles.
TM: What’s the most popular item right now?
DW: Right now our Discovery Coffee Subscription is our most popular subscription, where every week, fortnight or month our customers receive a different coffee from around the world. Our Brazil Signature Espresso is always one of our most popular coffees (it’s personally one of my favourites, tastes like melted Snickers). We also launched our compostable coffee pods earlier this year which are getting some really nice feedback.
Coming up we’re really excited about launching our Christmas Discovery Coffee and our 12 Days of Discovery Advent Calendar, which will include 12 70g packs from our Discovery Coffee range. Keep an eye out for these from November!
TM: What’s made Chimney Fire Coffee stand out in a crowded marketspace?
DW: I firmly believe that authenticity is one of the main drivers of any business. We of course consistently produce high quality coffee, but it’s sustainability that’s at the core of the business, rather than being an extension. We have long-term relationships directly with our suppliers, use 100% compostable & recyclable packaging across our range & deliver social impact through donations to Re-Cycle, a small charity who refurbish bikes in the UK and send them to rural communities in Africa.
We’re an Accredited Living Wage employer and in August 2022 we became a Certified B CorporationTM, an international commendation of social and environmental performance. This not only adds credibility to what we do but also provides a framework so that we can continue to improve.
It’s also worth noting that a lot of our marketing is genuine to the personal interests of many of the team. We’re based in the Surrey Hills AONB so we sort of have to be into cycling and running and we’re fortunate to have fantastic partners within both of these industries. This has recently extended to cold water swimming, and even involved a team dip in the River Wey last Christmas!
Lastly, everything we do is focussed on the customer. People are the business so everyone gets a personal service and this includes everything from the way we communicate with our online customers & ask for regular feedback, to providing robust training programmes for our wholesale partners. We have always offered our customers high quality coffee at a competitive price point, with free delivery on all products.
TM: What does the future have in store? What are your aims?
DW: We’re in the process of moving to our new space at Denbies Vineyard & Winery. We’re really excited about this, not just because we’ll be surrounded by vines & wines, but also because it’s a great opportunity for us. If you didn’t know, Denbies is the biggest Vineyard in the UK, producing 10% of all UK wine. We are already in talks with the winery about offering coffee and wine tours … think I’ll be first on the list for one of those!
Long-term we’re looking to continue to expand our wholesale business within the South-East, and our online subscription business nationally. We’re always keen for people to see our operation in the flesh which is aligned with our open & transparent approach. If you’re local, please pop in and see us for a chat, tour or to collect coffee.
TM: What advice would you have for anyone thinking of starting their independent business?
DW: This is a big question but I would probably start by saying you should be prepared to make mistakes, which will ultimately provide good learnings for the future. Finding the right people is key to growth and I’m fortunate to have an amazing team – everyone is an expert in their own area of the business and ultimately helps drive the business forward.
Something that I would also say is by all means keep an eye on competition, but don’t let that distract you from your own strategy. Being authentic & able to move quickly is key and there is still plenty of space to innovate in a competitive market. Finally it’s a bit of a cliche, but you have to work hard and be persistent, particularly in the early days!
TM: How important is it to engage with other like-minded brands and makers?
DW: Collaborations with like-minded brands is a great way to increase your brand awareness, and can be mutually beneficial in increasing your reach within a similar audience. Levering these relationships is particularly important if you’re a business without a big marketing budget. It also comes back to authenticity again – most collabs happen because we already like or buy from the brand, or our paths have crossed at some point.
We’ve had some really special collabs including a pre-mix espresso martini bottle with Silent Pool Distillers who are local to us, and a Coffee Porter with The Park Brewery who I met at a market years back and we both crowdfunded at similar times. Brand collaborations also include local wholesale partners such as The Queen Stage, who organise regular cycle events & have included roastery visits from a couple of well-known ex Tour de France stage winners.
TM: What’s your favourite independent brand? Who would you nominate for us to feature next?
DW: We all love a brand called Stolen Goat, who design cycle clothing & accessories (including our very own Chimney Fire cycle jersey!). They’ve created a really strong brand that resonates with their customers. Both Silent Pool & The Park Brewery would also be interesting food & drink businesses to feature.
TM: How can people track you down?
DW: You can find all of our coffees with free delivery on our website – ChimneyFireCoffee.com. You’ll also be able to find a map of our cafe partners where you can try our coffee out in the wild (highly recommended!).
We’re a friendly bunch who enjoy meeting our customers, so if you fancy that coffee/wine tour then please do come and visit us at Denbies Vineyard. If you have any coffee questions, or would like to find out about hospitality or office packages, please drop us an email hello@chimneyfirecoffee.com.
For more info visit ChimneyFireCoffee.com
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