Today I'm joined by the CEO of one of the largerst, most recognisable and pioneering coffee companies in the UK, John Steel. John heads up Café Direct, a forward thinking coffee giant that was set up to give coffee farmers a better living through Oxfam in the 1990s. This movement helped mitigate the collapse of coffee prices throughout this period and served as a foundation for the thriving global coffee market we all enjoy today.

Where Café Direct differs from so many other coffee companies is their long standing commitment to fair trade, supporting coffee small

holder cooperatives and promoting sustainable practices throughout the coffee supply chain.

John and I covered a range of topics including challenges facing the coffee industry, what it’s like to be the CEO of a listed company, John’s background in the food and beverage sector, the history of Café Direct, their specialty brand “Grumpy Mule” and how John takes his own morning coffee.

I’d like to thank John for his time and insight into the industry from such a well renowned company’s perspective.

If you liked this episode, please go ahead and like, subscribe and share it with your friends. You can follow Espresso Insiders across social media here:

Website/Blog:

https://espressoinsiders.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/espressoinsiders

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/espresso_insiders/profilecard/?igsh=MTZseW1pNnl2MmdoaA==

YouTube:

https://youtube.com/@espressoinsiders?si=96S1l2z0uQS4G-pH

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@espresso_insiders?_t=8rCONjuQD8j&_r=1

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/espresso-insiders/

X:

https://x.com/esp_insiders?s=21&t=k9IkUIbaQS7Jf4gPyQNNaQ

Pinterest:

https://pin.it/5oRlZDrC2