PICTURED: It’s a deal! Laurence Beardmore, Philippa Beardmore; Ross MacDonald and Tracy MacDonald.
A York artisan coffee roasting business which operates across the UK has been acquired by one the UK’s most highly respected biggest vending companies. York Coffee Emporium, which has grown turnover from £11,000 to almost £800,000 in five years, has been bought by Upton Group.
Acquired by coffee enthusiasts Laurence and Philippa Beardmore in 2011, York Coffee Emporium imports and hand-roasts coffee and supplies customers throughout the UK, including independent cafes, hotels, restaurants, businesses and tourist attractions.
The company also supplies wholesale buyers and individuals, who buy through its e-commerce site as well as sourcing and selling loose speciality teas.
Following the acquisition, Laurence Beardmore will remain involved with the running of York Coffee Emporium and will also become commercial director of the Upton Group. Philippa will become operations manager for York Coffee Emporium.
‘This acquisition brings together two successful family businesses with a similar ethos to create a broader-based company which will benefit all our staff and current and prospective customers’, Upton Group managing director Ross MacDonald told PV.
Laurence Beardmore agreed: “We’ve grown tremendously in the last five years, but we’d got close to our ceiling with our previous structure. This acquisition gives us a platform to reach the next level, but it has always been very important to us that we should remain part of a family business rather than an impersonal corporate body.’
