About Cooper & Co
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The true origins of Cooper & Co. have been lost in the annals of history however what is known is that there was a front page advertisement in the 1890 edition of the Jersey Evening Post when Cooper & Co. traded on King’s street and were known as Tea men with their own Tea shop. This makes Cooper’s one of the oldest remaining locally owned Jersey companies, a fact of which we are hugely proud.
The first coffee roasting plant was purchased in 1949. The majority of sales in those days appear to have been a series of coffee and chicory mixes which was enjoyed by the French farmers who came over to the Island from Brittany to help pick the Jersey Royal potato crop. |
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We have some great pictures of very smartly dressed delivery drivers proudly standing in front of their delivery vehicles. All tea sales in those days were loose, the ubiquitous teabag having yet to take a hold reflecting the more genteel and slower pace of life of the time.
Today Cooper & Co trade from 57 Halkett Place which is the hub of our roasting, packing and retail operation. Although change has always happened, it is the pace of that change which has increased so dramatically over the last 20 years. The reinvention of espresso based drinks and increasing interest in environmental and ethical issues has meant that the need to understand every aspect of the business has become more important than ever.
Cooper & Co. are long standing members of the Fairtrade Foundation which entitles us to use their logo on any Fairtrade certified coffee we roast and pack. We are also signed up to the Rainforest Alliance organisation, another ethical certifier.
To ensure that we stay up to date with the latest trends in the industry Cooper & Co. are members of the Speciality Coffee Association of America. We attend their annual conference and use it as an opportunity to get the latest training whether it be cupping, roasting or milk handling as well as visiting the many businesses who exhibit at the trade show. In Europe we regularly attend trade shows in Milan, Trieste, Birmingham and London. Each show will be of interest to a different aspect of our business.
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Following a training session in Atlanta on coffee roasting, Cooper & Co. became members of the Roasters Guild in the US and will be looking to use their training programmes for the future development of the business.
The importance of understanding how our coffee is grown and processed at origin has meant that we have visited coffee farms in both Brazil and Colombia in recent years. This has helped us to establish good relationships with our suppliers and see first-hand the conditions in which many farmers work and how different processing methods affect the cup profiles of our coffees.
At a local level we are proud to be recognised as an “Eco-Active” business, a States of Jersey environmental scheme which encourages us to focus on the three tenants of recycle, reduce and reuse. |
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Although I have focused on the coffee part of our business we find ourselves selling increasing quantities of speciality teas. I use the word “tea” in its loosest sense as more and more of the products actually have no tea in them whatsoever.
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We find that our younger customers are less frightened of change and are increasingly willing to try Rooibos, Herbal and Fruit infusions. The market for White tea and Green tea has also grown significantly, with the hand stitched green tea ball creating a storm over the last 12 months.
Finally we also carry a range of accessories for making all of the products we stock in our store. Well known brands such as Bialetti, Bodum and Jura can all be found on our shelves as well as teapots from leading US brands like Stump.
We like to think that we cover most bases when it comes to Tea and Coffee, however if you have a particular product which doesn’t appear on our website in which you are interested please let us know.
David Warr, Cooper & Co |