The Coffee Lover's Guide: We Graded the UK's Towns and Cities by How E

The UK’s coffee scene continues to grow and evolve, with people increasingly seeking out artisan coffee shops that offer a special experience. The fact they provide high-quality coffee that is also sustainably sourced is attracting ethically driven consumers looking for new taste experiences.

According to cbi.eu, 23% of the coffee drunk outside the home in the UK is served by speciality coffee houses. A higher percentage than any European country.

This article reveals which of the UK’s most-populated cities and towns offer the best chances of enjoying high-quality, artisan coffee. But before we share that information it is worth taking a quick look at the history of the UK´s coffee culture. Doing so will help you to understand how the market has matured, where we are today and what is likely to happen to the UK´s speciality coffee consumption moving forward.

The History of Coffee in the UK

The first coffeehouse opened in London in 1652 and they gradually spread to the rest of the UK. But when import taxes and plant diseases made coffee more expensive than tea in the 18th century, coffee went back to being a niche product.

Only when Nestle launched Nescafe instant coffee in the UK in 1938, did things start to slowly move in the other direction. Sales were boosted during WWII when the government rationed tea while letting people buy as much coffee as they wanted. But it proved to be so convenient that people stopped visiting their local Italian cafes and made it at home instead. As a result, many independent coffee shops closed their doors around that time. It was a big blow to the country’s traditional coffee houses that were available in areas where immigrants who had a rich coffee culture in their home countries had opened them up.

The UK’s Artisan Coffee Pioneers

Those who resigned themselves to serving British fare with the option for fresh coffee for the few who wanted it stayed open and did well. In many towns, they were still there, providing a springboard for the UK’s third-wave coffee revolution. They served real coffee when there was not much demand, changing people’s minds about the beverage one by one.

There are many examples of this in the Welsh valleys. Workers came from across the world to work in the mines. Those who were Italian brought their love of real coffee with them and opened cafes serving drinks made using fresh beans. Viazzani’s Station Cafe in Merthyr Tydfil is a great example of this. They and others like them left a lasting legacy that goes way beyond providing generations with somewhere to hang out. Even today, a significantly higher percentage of Wales’s coffee shops are independently run. In part people are used to having access to high-quality coffee provided by small business owners and generations have acquired a taste for it.

Independents Who Morphed into National Brands

Another set of Italian brothers living in the UK are also responsible for the country’s big brand coffee wave. Sergio and Bruno Costa are behind one of the world's biggest coffee shop brands, Costa Coffee. These coffee roasters opened their 1st cafe in London, in 1971 and their growth became meteoric in the 90s. Young Brits inspired by American shows like Friends suddenly discovered the joy of going out for coffee. Brands like Starbucks and Costa were there to meet that new demand and they dominated the market

But tastes and priorities changed in the early 2000s. People began to learn more about coffee, experimenting with different varieties and brewing techniques.

Consumers also started to worry more about where their food and drink came from. They wanted to know that the people who grew the crop had good conditions and that the beans were grown in an environmentally friendly way. Most small coffee shops source their beans from independent roasters. Many of them buy their beans directly from the grower. So it was natural for concerned consumers to start drinking in independent, artisan coffee shops. When they made the switch it was a revelation, the taste was so much better.

People appreciated the personalised service and being able to be part of a community close to where they worked or lived. As home working grew in popularity, this trend has gone from strength to strength.

How we established which UK locations are best for speciality coffee

But we knew from our own experience that in some places finding an independent coffee house is all but impossible. A fact that piqued our interest and prompted us to investigate further.

We gathered data on every coffee shop in nearly 400 of the largest towns and cities, by population. Then, analysed whether they were from a big brand, small group or independent. By calculating the ratio of independent to large brand places we were able to assign a grade of A to C for each town or city.

Places graded A represented where the public had the most options for choosing to get their brew in an independent specialist coffee place and places graded C were where they mostly had to make do with a big brand. Looking at the 400 was fascinating but a bit overwhelming. So, we narrowed that list down to the 50 cities and towns with the highest populations and then ranked them in order.

Our Findings – The Top 50 towns and cities

We took the top 50 by population and made this map.

Highlights and City-Level Case Studies

Some of the towns and cities that appeared at the top of the independent coffee shop rankings were a bit surprising, others less so. Here are a couple of examples, along with a brief explanation of why they have such a diverse coffee culture:

Norwich – According to a recent study carried out by Holidu people in Norwich search for coffee shops more than any other place in the UK, including London. So, we were not surprised to learn that the city is home to 6o independents. That´s 1 for every 2,400 residents. With so much competition, standards are high, for example, Strangers Coffee House has won 7 awards including the best coffee experience in the UK.

Edinburgh – Edinburgh has more coffee shops than any other place in the UK except London. The first coffeehouse opened here in 1673. For some reason that has been lost in the annals of time, even when the rest of the UK stopped drinking coffee it remained relatively popular in Edinburgh. Originally, it was brewed in huge vats, left to cool and reheated. Later it bubbled away 24/7. People in the city have always been used to drinking their coffee a bit differently. So, the fact that a significant percentage of the city’s coffee shops are independent kind of makes sense.

The excellent Little Fitzroy in Edinburgh

Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/CSUj0dmj4ND/

You Can Still Enjoy Speciality Coffee Outside of the UK´s Hotspots

However, you don´t necessarily have to live in one of the UK´s speciality coffee hotspots to be able to find something a bit special. Here are a few examples of individual coffee shops that are offering something exceptional in cities that were not banded A in our study:

Federal Manchester – this café is often ranked as one of the best coffee places in the UK and as a place that cares about the quality of the coffee they serve.

Bould Brother in Cambridge - rated as one of the best by the editors at ‘Best Coffee’ - only sources the best beans.

Hennesseys in Bristol – the experience of having a coffee there is a world apart from sitting under the strip lights in a Cafe Nero.

Credit: Hennesseys Bristol

Our Full Rankings Table

If the above has piqued your interest and you would like to dig a little deeper into the data for all 400 locations, just scroll down and find your town or city in the more comprehensive table below:

City	County	Region	Rating
Aberdare	Rhondda Cynon Taf	Wales	C
Aberdeen	Aberdeenshire	Scotland	B
Abingdon	Oxfordshire	South East	C
Accrington	Lancashire	North West	C
Acton	Greater London	London	A
Airdrie	North Lanarkshire	Scotland	C
Aldershot	Hampshire	South East	A
Altrincham	Greater Manchester	North West	B
Andover	Hampshire	South East	B
Archway	Greater London	London	A
Arnold	Nottinghamshire	East Midlands	C
Ashford	Kent	South East	C
Ashton-under-Lyne	Greater Manchester	North West	C
Aston	West Midlands	West Midlands	C
Aylesbury	Buckinghamshire	South East	C
Ayr	South Ayrshire	Scotland	A
Banbury	Oxfordshire	South East	C
Bangor	Gwynedd	Wales	A
Banstead	Surrey	South East	A
Barking	Greater London	London	B
Barnsley	South Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	A
Barnstaple	Devon	South West	C
Barrow in Furness	Cumbria	North West	C
Barry	Vale of Glamorgan	Wales	A
Basildon	Essex	East of England	C
Basingstoke	Hampshire	South East	C
Bath	Somerset	South West	C
Batley	West Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	C
Battersea	Greater London	London	C
Beckenham	Greater London	London	A
Becontree	Greater London	London	C
Bedford	Bedfordshire	East of England	B
Belfast	Antrim	Northern Ireland	C
Bentley	South Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	A
Beverley	East Riding of Yorkshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	C
Bexhill-on-Sea	East Sussex	South East	A
Bexley	Greater London	London	C
Bicester	Oxfordshire	South East	C
Billericay	Essex	East of England	C
Birkenhead	Merseyside	North West	A
Birmingham	West Midlands	West Midlands	C
Bishops Stortford	Hertfordshire	East of England	A
Blackburn	Lancashire	North West	C
Blackpool	Lancashire	North West	C
Bletchley	Buckinghamshire	South East	A
Blyth	Northumberland	North East	A
Bognor Regis	West Sussex	South East	B
Bolton	Greater Manchester	North West	B
Bootle	Merseyside	North West	B
Borehamwood	Hertfordshire	East of England	C
Boston	Lincolnshire	East Midlands	C
Bournemouth	Dorset	South West	C
Bracknell	Berkshire	South East	B
Bradford	West Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	C
Braintree	Essex	East of England	B
Brentwood	Essex	East of England	B
Bridgend	Bridgend	Wales	C
Bridlington	East Riding of Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	B
Brighouse	West Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	C
Brighton	East Sussex	South East	A
Bristol	Bristol	South West	B
Briton Ferry	Neath Port Talbot	Wales	A
Brixton	Greater London	London	A
Bromsgrove	Worcestershire	West Midlands	A
Buckley	Flintshire	Wales	B
Burgess Hill	West Sussex	South East	C
Burnley	Lancashire	North West	C
Burton upon Trent	Staffordshire	West Midlands	C
Bury	Greater Manchester	North West	C
Bury St Edmunds	Suffolk	East of England	A
Caerphilly	Caerphilly	Wales	A
Cambridge	Cambridgeshire	East of England	B
Canary Wharf	Greater London	London	C
Cannock	Staffordshire	West Midlands	C
Canterbury	Kent	South East	B
Canvey Island	Essex	East of England	C
Cardiff	South Glamorgan	Wales	B
Carlisle	Cumbria	North West	C
Castleford	West Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	B
Castlereagh	Down	Northern Ireland	B
Chatham	Kent	South East	A
Chelmsford	Essex	East of England	C
Chelsea	Greater London	London	A
Cheltenham	Gloucestershire	South West	B
Cheshunt	Hertfordshire	East of England	C
Chester	Cheshire	North West	B
Chester-le-Street	County Durham	North East	B
Chesterfield	Derbyshire	East Midlands	C
Chichester	West Sussex	South East	B
Chippenham	Wiltshire	South West	C
Chipping Sodbury	Gloucestershire	South West	C
Chorley	Lancashire	North West	A
Christchurch	Dorset	South West	C
City of Westminster	Greater London	London	C
Clacton-on-Sea	Essex	East of England	C
Cleethorpes	Lincolnshire	East Midlands	C
Coalville	Leicestershire	East Midlands	B
Coatbridge	North Lanarkshire	Scotland	C
Coity	Bridgend	Wales	A
Colchester	Essex	East of England	B
Colwyn Bay	Conwy	Wales	A
Corby	Northamptonshire	East Midlands	C
Coventry	West Midlands	West Midlands	C
Craigavon	Armagh	Northern Ireland	A
Cramlington	Northumberland	North East	B
Crawley	West Sussex	South East	C
Crewe	Cheshire	North West	C
Crosby	Merseyside	North West	A
Croydon	Greater London	London	C
Cumbernauld	North Lanarkshire	Scotland	C
Cwmbran	Torfaen	Wales	C
Dagenham	Greater London	London	B
Darlington	County Durham	North East	B
Dartford	Kent	South East	C
Darwen	Lancashire	North West	B
Deal	Kent	South East	A
Deeside	Flintshire	Wales	A
Derby	Derbyshire	East Midlands	C
Derry	Londonderry	Northern Ireland	C
Dewsbury	West Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	C
Doncaster	South Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	C
Dover	Kent	South East	B
Dudley	West Midlands	West Midlands	C
Dumfries	Dumfries and Galloway	Scotland	C
Dundee	Angus	Scotland	A
Dunfermline	Fife	Scotland	C
Dunstable	Bedfordshire	East of England	C
Durham	County Durham	North East	B
East Kilbride	South Lanarkshire	Scotland	B
Eastbourne	East Sussex	South East	A
Eastleigh	Hampshire	South East	C
Ebbw Vale	Blaenau Gwent	Wales	B
Eccles	Greater Manchester	North West	A
Edinburgh	Edinburgh	Scotland	A
Ellesmere Port	Cheshire	North West	C
Enfield Town	Greater London	London	C
Esher	Surrey	South East	C
Ewell	Surrey	South East	C
Exeter	Devon	South West	B
Exmouth	Devon	South West	A
Falkirk	Stirlingshire	Scotland	C
Falmouth	Cornwall	South West	A
Fareham	Hampshire	South East	C
Farnborough	Hampshire	South East	C
Farnham	Surrey	South East	B
Felling	Tyne and Wear	North East	A
Fleet	Hampshire	South East	C
Folkestone	Kent	South East	A
Fylde	Lancashire	North West	B
Gateshead	Tyne and Wear	North East	C
Gillingham	Kent	South East	C
Glasgow	Lanarkshire	Scotland	A
Glenrothes	Fife	Scotland	A
Glossop	Derbyshire	East Midlands	C
Gloucester	Gloucestershire	South West	C
Gosport	Hampshire	South East	C
Grantham	Lincolnshire	East Midlands	C
Gravesend	Kent	South East	C
Grays	Essex	East of England	C
Great Malvern	Worcestershire	West Midlands	A
Great Sankey	Cheshire	North West	B
Great Yarmouth	Norfolk	East of England	B
Greenford	Greater London	London	C
Greenock	Inverclyde	Scotland	C
Grimsby	Lincolnshire	East Midlands	B
Guildford	Surrey	South East	B
Halesowen	West Midlands	West Midlands	C
Halifax	West Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	B
Hamilton	South Lanarkshire	Scotland	C
Harlow	Essex	East of England	C
Harrogate	North Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	A
Hartlepool	County Durham	North East	C
Hastings	East Sussex	South East	A
Hatfield	Hertfordshire	East of England	B
Havant	Hampshire	South East	C
Hayes	Greater London	London	C
Haywards Heath	West Sussex	South East	B
Hemel Hempstead	Hertfordshire	East of England	A
Hereford	Herefordshire	West Midlands	A
Herne Bay	Kent	South East	A
High Peak	Derbyshire	East Midlands	A
High Wycombe	Buckinghamshire	South East	B
Hinckley	Leicestershire	East Midlands	A
Hitchin	Hertfordshire	East of England	A
Hoddesdon	Hertfordshire	East of England	C
Holloway	Greater London	London	A
Horsham	West Sussex	South East	C
Houghton-Le-Spring	Tyne and Wear	North East	C
Hove	East Sussex	South East	A
Huddersfield	West Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	A
Huyton	Merseyside	North West	C
Hyde	Greater Manchester	North West	C
Ilkeston	Derbyshire	East Midlands	B
Inverness	Highland	Scotland	C
Ipswich	Suffolk	East of England	C
Irvine	North Ayrshire	Scotland	C
Islington	Greater London	London	A
Keighley	West Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	C
Kettering	Northamptonshire	East Midlands	C
Kidderminster	Worcestershire	West Midlands	C
Kilmarnock	East Ayrshire	Scotland	A
King's Lynn	Norfolk	East of England	A
Kingston upon Hull	East Riding of Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	B
Kingswood	Gloucestershire	South West	C
Kirkby	Merseyside	North West	C
Kirkcaldy	Fife	Scotland	A
Lancaster	Lancashire	North West	B
Leatherhead	Surrey	South East	A
Leeds	West Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	C
Leicester	Leicestershire	East Midlands	A
Leigh	Greater Manchester	North West	C
Leighton Buzzard	Bedfordshire	East of England	A
Letchworth Garden City	Hertfordshire	East of England	B
Leyland	Lancashire	North West	C
Lichfield	Staffordshire	West Midlands	B
Lincoln	Lincolnshire	East Midlands	B
Lisburn	Antrim	Northern Ireland	B
Littlehampton	West Sussex	South East	A
Liverpool	Merseyside	North West	C
Livingston	West Lothian	Scotland	C
Llanelli	Carmarthenshire	Wales	C
London	Greater London	London	A
Londonderry County Borough	Londonderry	Northern Ireland	A
Long Eaton	Derbyshire	East Midlands	C
Loughborough	Leicestershire	East Midlands	C
Lower Earley	Berkshire	South East	B
Lowestoft	Suffolk	East of England	A
Luton	Bedfordshire	East of England	C
Lytham St Annes	Lancashire	North West	C
Macclesfield	Cheshire	North West	B
Maidenhead	Berkshire	South East	C
Maidstone	Kent	South East	C
Manchester	Greater Manchester	North West	C
Mangotsfield	Gloucestershire	South West	B
Mansfield	Nottinghamshire	East Midlands	A
Margate	Kent	South East	A
Mendip	Somerset	South West	A
Merthyr Tydfil	Merthyr Tydfil	Wales	C
Middlesbrough	North Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	C
Middleton	Greater Manchester	North West	A
Milton Keynes	Buckinghamshire	South East	C
Mitcham	Greater London	London	C
Morden	Greater London	London	C
Morecambe	Lancashire	North West	C
Morley	West Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	A
Motherwell	North Lanarkshire	Scotland	C
Neath	Neath Port Talbot	Wales	C
Newark on Trent	Nottinghamshire	East Midlands	A
Newburn	Tyne and Wear	North East	C
Newbury	Berkshire	South East	B
Newcastle under Lyme	Staffordshire	West Midlands	C
Newcastle upon Tyne	Tyne and Wear	North East	C
Newport	Gwent	Wales	C
Newton Abbot	Devon	South West	A
Newtownabbey	Antrim	Northern Ireland	C
North Shields	Tyne and Wear	North East	A
Northampton	Northamptonshire	East Midlands	B
Northwich	Cheshire	North West	C
Norwich	Norfolk	East of England	A
Nottingham	Nottinghamshire	East Midlands	B
Nuneaton	Warwickshire	West Midlands	C
Oldham	Greater Manchester	North West	C
Oxford	Oxfordshire	South East	B
Paignton	Devon	South West	C
Paisley	Renfrewshire	Scotland	B
Peckham	Greater London	London	A
Perth	Perth and Kinross	Scotland	B
Peterborough	Cambridgeshire	East of England	C
Peterlee	County Durham	North East	C
Plymouth	Devon	South West	C
Pontypool	Torfaen	Wales	A
Pontypridd	Rhondda Cynon Taf	Wales	C
Poole	Dorset	South West	B
Portsmouth	Hampshire	South East	B
Prescot	Merseyside	North West	C
Preston	Lancashire	North West	B
Prestwich	Greater Manchester	North West	B
Pudsey	West Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	A
Purley	Greater London	London	B
Ramsgate	Kent	South East	C
Reading	Berkshire	South East	C
Redcar	North Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	C
Redditch	Worcestershire	West Midlands	C
Redhill	Surrey	South East	B
Redruth	Cornwall	South West	A
Reigate	Surrey	South East	A
Rhondda	Rhondda Cynon Taf	Wales	A
Rochdale	Greater Manchester	North West	C
Romford	Greater London	London	C
Rossendale	Lancashire	North West	B
Rotherham	South Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	C
Royal Leamington Spa	Warwickshire	West Midlands	B
Royal Tunbridge Wells	Kent	South East	C
Rugby	Warwickshire	West Midlands	B
Ruislip	Greater London	London	C
Runcorn	Cheshire	North West	B
Rushden	Northamptonshire	East Midlands	C
Rutherglen	South Lanarkshire	Scotland	C
Saint Neots	Cambridgeshire	East of England	B
Saint Peters	Kent	South East	A
Sale	Greater Manchester	North West	B
Salford	Greater Manchester	North West	C
Salisbury	Wiltshire	South West	B
Scarborough	North Yorkshire	Yorkshire and The Humber	B
Scunthorpe	Lincolnshire	East Midlands	B
Sheffield	South Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	A
Shirley	West Midlands	West Midlands	C
Shrewsbury	Shropshire	West Midlands	B
Sittingbourne	Kent	South East	A
Skelmersdale	Lancashire	North West	B
Slough	Berkshire	South East	C
Solihull	West Midlands	West Midlands	C
South Benfleet	Essex	East of England	A
South Croydon	Greater London	London	C
South Shields	Tyne and Wear	North East	A
Southall	Greater London	London	B
Southampton	Hampshire	South East	C
Southend-on-Sea	Essex	East of England	B
Southport	Merseyside	North West	C
Spalding	Lincolnshire	East Midlands	C
St Albans	Hertfordshire	East of England	B
St Helens	Merseyside	North West	B
Stafford	Staffordshire	West Midlands	C
Staines	Surrey	South East	C
Stevenage	Hertfordshire	East of England	A
Stirling	Stirlingshire	Scotland	A
Stockport	Greater Manchester	North West	A
Stockton-on-Tees	County Durham	North East	B
Stoke-on-Trent	Staffordshire	West Midlands	C
Stourbridge	West Midlands	West Midlands	B
Stretford	Greater Manchester	North West	C
Strood	Kent	South East	C
Stroud	Gloucestershire	South West	A
Sunderland	Tyne and Wear	North East	A
Surbiton	Greater London	London	B
Sutton	Greater London	London	C
Sutton Coldfield	West Midlands	West Midlands	C
Sutton in Ashfield	Nottinghamshire	East Midlands	C
Swadlincote	Derbyshire	East Midlands	B
Swansea	West Glamorgan	Wales	B
Swindon	Wiltshire	South West	C
Tamworth	Staffordshire	West Midlands	C
Taunton	Somerset	South West	C
Telford	Shropshire	West Midlands	C
Tonbridge	Kent	South East	B
Tonypandy	Rhondda Cynon Taf	Wales	A
Torquay	Devon	South West	B
Totton	Hampshire	South East	B
Trowbridge	Wiltshire	South West	C
Tyldesley	Greater Manchester	North West	C
Urmston	Greater Manchester	North West	A
Wakefield	West Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	B
Walkden	Greater Manchester	North West	C
Wallasey	Merseyside	North West	A
Wallsend	Tyne and Wear	North East	B
Walsall	West Midlands	West Midlands	C
Warrington	Cheshire	North West	C
Washington	Tyne and Wear	North East	C
Waterlooville	Hampshire	South East	C
Watford	Hertfordshire	East of England	C
Wednesfield	West Midlands	West Midlands	A
Welling	Greater London	London	A
Wellingborough	Northamptonshire	East Midlands	B
Welwyn Garden City	Hertfordshire	East of England	B
Wembley	Greater London	London	C
West Bridgford	Nottinghamshire	East Midlands	B
West Bromwich	West Midlands	West Midlands	C
Weston-super-Mare	Somerset	South West	C
Weymouth	Dorset	South West	C
Whitley Bay	Tyne and Wear	North East	A
Wickford	Essex	East of England	C
Widnes	Cheshire	North West	A
Wigan	Greater Manchester	North West	C
Wigston Magna	Leicestershire	East Midlands	B
Wilmslow	Cheshire	North West	C
Winchester	Hampshire	South East	B
Windsor	Berkshire	South East	C
Wisbech	Cambridgeshire	East of England	C
Wishaw	North Lanarkshire	Scotland	C
Woking	Surrey	South East	C
Wokingham	Berkshire	South East	A
Wolverhampton	West Midlands	West Midlands	B
Worcester	Worcestershire	West Midlands	B
Worksop	Nottinghamshire	East Midlands	C
Worthing	West Sussex	South East	A
Wrexham	Clwyd	Wales	C
Yate	Gloucestershire	South West	C
Yeadon	West Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	C
Yeovil	Somerset	South West	C
York	North Yorkshire	Yorkshire and the Humber	A

Interesting Regional Trends

When you look at things at a regional level things get even more interesting. Here are some of the trends we spotted region by region:

The South East Has The Best of Both Worlds

Unsurprisingly, the area of the country with the largest population has the highest number of artisan coffee shops within its boundaries. There are thousands of independents operating within the towns of the South East. But, it is clear from the percentages that the big chains have a secure foothold.

The Big Brands Have the Edge in Other Areas

In other places, the multinationals have an even bigger slice of the pie. There are 4 UK regions where over 50% of the coffee shops and outlets are run by firms like Costa Coffee, Cafe Nero and Starbucks.

The West Midlands is one of them. There, only 13% of the towns and cities had enough artisan establishments to be categorised as band A.

Wales Has the Highest Percentage of Band A Artisan Coffee Destinations

Whereas, in many parts of Wales, artisan and independent coffee makers are still holding a bigger market share than the national brands. Forty-three per cent of the 400 towns and cities we analysed in detail ranked as offering a band A artisan coffee experience. In many of the larger cities, it is the independents that are nosing ahead. Yet, even in Wales, the brands have made big inroads into the coffee market. They dominate in the country´s biggest cities.

As you can see, when it comes to how easy it is to enjoy artisan coffee in the UK the picture is very mixed. While researching the subject we realised that the dynamics of the market are complex and there are many, many influences at play. With this in mind we have put together a few resources for you to use should you want to research the subject further.

References and Sources

CBI analysis of Europe’s speciality coffee market - https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/coffee/specialty-coffee/market-potential

World Coffee Portal analysis of Europe’s coffee market - https://www.worldcoffeeportal.com/Latest/InsightAnalysis/2022/May/Five-dynamics-shaping-Europe-s-branded-cafe-market

2024 World Coffee Portal analysis of UK´s Independent Coffee Market - https://www.worldcoffeeportal.com/getdoc/d1f9e8ce-c4d7-4815-a2af-2c2923229497/Quality-and-authenticity-key-to-UK-independent-cof

UK Coffee Week news round-up - https://www.ukcoffeeweek.com/our-news

The Coffee Lover's Guide: We Graded the UK's Towns and Cities by How Easy It Is to Avoid Big Brand Coffee and Choose High-Quality Artisan Brews

Latest Stories