A Shropshire-based speciality coffee roaster which has seen both its wholesale and consumer businesses boom in the past two years, has unveiled dedicated websites to serve each distinct customer base. The move comes as it forecasts 70% growth in its customer base over the next 12 months.
Iron & Fire which has a dedicated state of the art roasting facility based in Castle Gates, Shrewsbury has been established since 2014 and business has since grown steadily with trade customers across the length and breadth of the UK. Its direct-to-consumer business, however, has tripled in size since the start of the pandemic and continues to see a large uptake in its subscription services.
Iron & Fire founder, Kevin Burrows comments, “When Covid forced people to create the ‘going-out’ experience at home, it positively impacted our coffee business in a similar way to that experienced by dine-at-home services. Unable to visit their local coffee shop, our consumer customers still wanted to enjoy a quality coffee and turned to our coffee subscriptions.
“Having more time at home to experiment meant the home barista broadened their appreciation of specialty coffee, trying coffees that they wouldn’t normally have the chance to enjoy in a conventional coffee shop.
“And once you’ve tasted Iron & Fire’s coffee, there’s no going back so we’ve seen those customers remain with us and they’re clearly spreading the word as this part of the business continues to grow. We believe that drinking great coffee is an experience to be enjoyed and have translated that into the experience when visiting the new website.”
Iron & Fire’s new consumer facing website provides purchasers with the flexibility to buy coffee on a one-off basis or sign up to a totally flexible subscribe and save service. Significantly, for the less seasoned coffee afficionado, it provides an intuitive guide based on personal taste preferences, brewing method and a range of other metrics to present a range of ideal purchasing options.
Iron & Fire’s wholesale business, meanwhile, has doubled in the past two years and trade customers now benefit from a dedicated site that provides them with not only a bespoke ordering portal, but also access to coffee machine servicing and maintenance options, guidance on how to set up a new coffee shop business, and barista training videos.
Kevin concludes: “The passion that we put into our coffee is something that we want our customers to share, but we’ve recognised that different customers have different needs. Separating out the website experiences for trade and consumer customers allows us to provide a truly bespoke experience to each and feedback so far has been very positive.”
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