Brewing the perfect cup. That's what we're after - whether it's crafted by a barista or by you at home. Here, we have the exciting next step in the 'brewing at home' journey...
We joined forced with Brew Lab Coffee back in 2018 and together launched Union Brew Lab. Today, Union Brew Lab launches The Store - a new coffee-centric retail space, offering everything you need for brewing at home - kit, fresh beans by weight, and tips, tricks and advice from professional baristas.
Since its inception in 2012, Brew Lab – based on South College Street in the Old Town of Edinburgh – has been at the forefront of the UK coffee scene, providing a place where people can meet, talk, learn, create and work in a comfortable, welcoming environment while enjoying high-quality speciality coffee crafted by dedicated baristas.
As an evolution of that original goal, and since joining the Union family in 2018, we’ve created a curated coffee retail boutique within the café to serve as a dedicated, conversation-driven space that aims to bridge the gap between coffee drinkers and coffee makers. The new concept offers a range of brewing kit, sold-by-weight fresh coffee, and an environment to engage with knowledgeable and passionate baristas away from the fast-paced espresso and brew bars. It compliments our online roast-to-order and CoffeeClub subscription services in a traditional bricks-and-mortar setting.
Weekly cuppings showcase the range of fresh coffee to buy, alongside anything interesting we’ve been sent by our guest coffee suppliers and a new partnership with Sage means their home espresso machines are available to demo and purchase, with full training support delivered in the Training Lab.
A beautiful design-led space, the new retail section is the perfect platform to showcase Union’s range of ethically sourced and sustainably produced coffees. With freshly roasted coffee sold by weight, customers are encouraged to bring their own containers, allowing them to buy just enough coffee for their needs while also reducing packaging waste and enjoying a 10% discount. Local design agency SPLINTR were careful to use sustainably sourced and non-virgin materials wherever possible in the design and build.
As part of the launch event, we’re offering a free drink to customers with any Fresh Coffee or reusable coffee cup purchase for the duration of November.
Written by Tom Hyde, Head of Hospitality at Union, and Co-Founder of Union Brew Lab
November 2019
