Behind the scenes of Cannock artisan coffee roasting company and cafe that started as hobby

“There was a lot of enthusiasm about coffee but there wasn’t really a hub for people in the area,” explains Jake, who lives in Huntington, Cannock.

He decided the answer was to start his own artisan roasting company and in 2019 founded Crown & Canvas Coffee Co.

And in December Jake opened the doors of his first coffee shop, providing a community hub where people can come together to enjoy good coffee and conversation.

The business sources speciality coffees from farms all over the world and roasts the beans to order for customers.

To begin with, the 30-year-old focussed solely on the wholesale market but then Covid hit and demand dropped.

“Covid flipped everything on its head and we needed to switch to selling directly to the public. Within 48 hours, we had our website ready for retail and we were offering massive discounts to entice people in.

“We came out of Covid far better for it because we had a sustainable business and when wholesale demand came back, we were ready. It’s helped us to be a lot more flexible,” explains Jake.

Now the business supplies the wholesale market and retail customers across the UK and Europe.

The roastery was originally based in Bridgtown but in December moved to a new base at the former United Reformed Church in Stafford Road, Cannock, which previously home to the Holy Smoke Bar & Grill.

It’s a building that Jake’s had his eye on for a long time. “When I was thinking about starting the business in 2018, I saw this building but I couldn’t find the details online – then Holy Smoke took over.

“In August last year, I was in Brazil visiting one of the farms when I found out it was available. The opportunity was too good to miss because buildings like this are so few and far between.”

The roastery is at the back of the building and the coffee shop – Chapel Coffee – is at the front.

“The building is 200-years-old this year and the business turns five this year so we will probably throw a party for both later this year,” says Jake.

Crown & Canvas offers both single origin coffees and coffee blends, sourcing fresh crops as they become available during the year.

They are all named after the farm where the beans were grown or the grower. Hessian sacks full to the brim with beans from countries including Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras, Columbia, Ethiopia and Rwanda are delivered to the site. As well as visiting Brazil last year, Jake has also travelled to Honduras to meet growers.

Beans are roasted two or three times a week to order to ensure they are as fresh as possible. “The beans are roasted in our 5kg roaster. A batch takes 10-12 minutes. We produce around 120kg a day, sometimes more. Since we started we have roasted more than 13 tonnes of coffee,” explains Jake.

The roasting process will vary for each variety of bean and the temperature and airflow is tracked to ensure accuracy and consistency in every roast.

“Every coffee has its own unique flavour profile from the origin, we don’t change or add anything, it’s roasted according to its profile.

“A shorter roast will result in a more acidic coffee and a longer roast will reduce acidity but increase bitterness, so it’s all about balancing that,” says Jake.

After they’ve been roasted, the beans are left to rest for 24 hours before being poured into the bags. We always put the date it was roasted on the bag. We recommend a shelf-life of two to three months,” explains Jake.

He has been delighted by the community’s response to the coffee shop and is hoping to host events such as open mic nights and poetry readings in the future.

“It’s been lovely to see many people visit for the first time and then come back the following day or week with their friends or family. We want to be a hub for coffee in the area,” says Jake.

See www.crownandcanvas.co.uk