A local coffee shop has hit out at the opening of a third Costa Coffee in its town. The owners of Yas Bean, an independent coffee spot in Macclesfield, also made the case for people to support small, local businesses rather than coffee chains on a post shared to social media.
The shop on Buxton Road was founded by Mika Johnson and his husband Dan Hardman and officially opened its doors last August. Prior to opening their shop, the pair ran the coffee concept out of a gazebo and a horsebox trailer, building a loyal following along the way.
The owners hit out at the new Costa Coffee opening on Instagram with a post titled #Costaliving. In the caption, they wrote: "Macclesfield has a new @costacoffee opening tomorrow. Our *third* Costa.
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"In fact there are now TWO within 0.3 of a mile of each other?!?!?! It will 'create 12 new jobs', but sadly the benefits for the local community end abruptly there.
"Costa don't use local dairies, bakers, grocers, coffee roasters, local artists or crafters. They don't support local charities, join initiatives to improve their surroundings or create events.
"What about how expensive speciality coffee shops are? Well actually by comparison Yas Bean drinks are cheaper.
"They shouldn't be, because our drinks are better quality, more ethically sourced and don't taste like the run off from marmite factory mixed with sugar. (Though to be fair I do actually like marmite...)."
The post went on to say that when customers buy a drink or food from Yas Bean, they support the "local butcher, baker and candlestick maker". Adding: "Well not quite but we do have some lovely cards made by locals."
Giving a snapshot of some of the suppliers Yas Bean use, the owners tagged their local partners including Kickback Coffee Roasters, Jacksons Dairies, Masa Bakery, Spearing Butcher, Tink Studio and The Corner Plot. On the case for supporting local, the owners added: "In these days ahead - where you spend your money makes a HUGE difference to your community. The above is true of many many other shops in our town, bit I can only speak for ourselves.
"Macclesfield is ruddy rife with wonderful people. Support Local, support independent. It's amazing, fund and sexy. Anyway BRB off for a Toblerone Latte xxx. #costaliving #costacoffee."
Having created their business during the pandemic, Mika and his husband have worked tirelessly to launch their own shop. They started by selling coffee out of a gazebo, providing neighbours with hot drinks, before it became a weekly market trading out of a horsebox in the depths of winter 2020 at a church.
They they found a small unit that wasn't being used and opened up their shop in August 2021. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News , co-owner Mika said: "There are many positives to shopping locally and shopping with independents in your local area, rather than the negatives of shopping with bigger chains. The benefits to our town in particular are huge especially in terms of the suppliers I use and the positives of creating a community hub.
"Especially since the pandemic, the way we were supported, every Saturday selling coffee out of a trailer was so random but people would come out whatever the weather and we always sat at home with this amazing sense of gratitude. We were surprised at how many businesses in the town supported us and helped us to grow.
"Not only did that create an amazing effect on us as humans, but our friend who used to sell sausage rolls to us, she is opening next door and it's that knock-on effect of building relationships and confidence that is this wonderful. And as much as we want to focus on the positives of that, you just don't get that when a Costa opens. That's my point - we all build things as a community and that's what I find so important."
As well as backing local businesses within their community, the owners have also supported a number of charitable causes since forming their business.
"We ran a fundraiser for our local foodbank, which raised £5,000, and then we also acted as a donation hub for Afghani refugees in 2021, and we donated all of our profits made selling coffee one day to the Ukrainian aid at the start of the war. There's so many worthy charities, but when there's a worthy crisis, when it comes down to food and family, people going cold and hungry I can't help but feel like we as a business can help and we should."
Responding to the comments, a spokesperson for Costa Coffee said: “We can confirm that a brand new Costa Coffee Drive-Thru store will be opening shortly on Barracks Mill retail park, Macclesfield. The store has created 12 jobs for members of the local community and is open for customers to grab a perfectly crafted Costa coffee from 7am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, and 9am till 6pm on Sunday. We look forward to welcoming customers to the new store."
The business highlights that it was the first UK coffee shop to ensure that 100 per cent of its coffee beans for UK stores are sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms and all of its beans for its UK stores are roasted at a roastery in Basildon, Essex. Other ingredients used at Costa Coffee stores include fresh cow's milk, which is 100pc British and Red Tractor assured, the spokesperson said.
Other Costa Coffee initiatives include everyday breakfast deals, where a range of breakfast items are available for either £1 or £2 when a medium, large hot drink or flat family drink is bought before 11am, the company said. And through its partnership with anti-food waste app, Too Good To Go, customers visiting their local Costa Coffee store can purchase food at a discount while preventing food waste. The company also offers perks through its free Costa Club rewards scheme, which rewards members with a free drink after eight purchases.
In terms of charitable initiatives, this year, the company became the headline partner of Macmillan’s Coffee Morning and through The Costa Foundation - a registered charity with the aim of improving the life chances of children in coffee growing communities - it has built more than 100 new schools.
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