Without question, one of the newest brands making a big impact in Chester is Jaunty Goat.
The coffee shop on Bridge Street has quickly captured the imagination of locals and visitors alike with its unbeatable combination of great coffee, sandwiches, pastries and other mouth-watering treats.
Jaunty Goat coffee is also increasingly the choice of some of Cheshire’s best known bars and restaurants, including Hickory’s Smokehouse and Barlounge, through its wholesale arm.
The man behind this growing success story is 24-year-old entrepreneur Patrick White.
Patrick got the coffee bug after leaving school and helping to develop a coffee and sandwich wholesale offering with his father’s company, which was better known during the 80s and 90s as a successful cigarette vending company.
He could see the potential and, determined to create his own brand, Patrick launched Jaunty Goat around 18 months ago.
Inspiration for the company name came from the legend of an Ethiopian goat herder called Kaldi who is said to have discovered the energising effects of coffee some 1500 years ago.
The story goes that some of Kaldi’s goats became hyperactive after eating red berries from a coffee tree. Excited, Kaldi took the berries to a local monastery whereupon the monks, disapproving of their use, threw them on to a fire.
Such was the amazing aroma, the coffee beans were raked from the embers, ground and dissolved in hot water – giving birth to the first ever coffee!
Patrick said: “The retail and the wholesale sides of the business complement each other. The shop on Bridge Street allows us to showcase our product from which we have so far been able to pick up some great wholesale business within a 30 mile radius.”
One of Patrick’s biggest challenges is managing growth. A year ago, the business had a 40 cover coffee shop with a small kitchen and the wholesale section behind. The decision was taken to invest in pushing the kitchen back into the wholesale space and increasing the number of covers to almost 60.
The wholesale business was relocated to a 1,000 sq. ft. base on Sealand Road.
In total, the company now employs around 15 people, a mix of full and part-time positions.
Patrick explained: “We needed to make the investment to give both sides of the business the room they needed to grow. I think the next step will be to open a second coffee shop in Chester – I firmly believe the demand is there – while continuing to organically grow the wholesale side as we become better known.
“Beyond Chester, we will look at Liverpool and other parts of Merseyside for expansion along with Shrewsbury where I went to school. The next year is about cementing the brand within the region.
“I look for like-minded people who believe in what we are doing – whether that is our wholesale customers or the people we employ.”
Patrick adopted a similar approach when appointing Ellis & Co as Jaunty Goat’s accountants.
He said: “I was introduced to Ellis & Co by NatWest in Chester and from day one I have enjoyed a strong commercial and a personal relationship. Like most business owners, I have strengths and also weaknesses and having an accountant who I could trust and rely upon for sound advice was really important.
“John Farrell and Robert Ellis understand our business and we regularly meet in the coffee shop. I value the fact that they are willing to challenge me and to give me complete honesty.”
Patrick added: “I am passionate about coffee and building a business in a sustainable and organic way, one which is based on great relationships whether that is our coffee producers thousands of miles away, visitors to our coffee shop or our wholesale customers.”
www.jauntygoatcoffee.co.uk
Ellis & Co Case Study: Jaunty Goat Coffee Company
