CAN YOU BELIEVE IT'S ALMOST THE END OF 2023? TIME FLIES WHEN YOU'RE HAVING FUN…OR REALLY BUSY BUILDING AN INCREDIBLE COFFEE TEAM!

IF YOU HAVE AT LEAST 6-MINUTES TO SPARE, PLEASE TAKE A STROLL DOWN MEMORY LANE WITH ME AND GET A SNEAK PEEK INTO THE FUTURE.

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2023

THE POWER OF US!

THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT I AM PROUD OF AT KICKBACK COFFEE BUT I CAN’T BEGIN TO SAY HOW PROUD IT MAKES ME TURNING UP TO A RAMBLE, RUN OR RIDE AND SEEING HOW MANY PEOPLE BUY-INTO WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO BUILD. IT’S ONE THING SEEING SOMEONE BUY A BAG OF OUR COFFEE BUT TO SEE HOW PEOPLE TRUST US TO TAKE THEM ON AN EVERYDAY ADVENTURE IS INCREDIBLE. I MUST DEFINITELY TAKE A MOMENT TO REFLECT ON HOW SPECIAL THIS IS AND HOW FAR IT HAS GROWN. 

ONE OF MY MANY HIGHLIGHTS WAS OUR CHRISTMAS RAMBLE. WE WELCOMED NEARLY 60 WOMEN, MEN, CHILDREN AND DOGS TO THE ROASTERY FOR A COFFEE AND A VERY FESTIVE 5KM WALK THROUGH LYME PARK. IT SEEMED TO REALLY KICK START CHRISTMAS FOR ME AND MY FAMILY AND I NOW CAN’T SEE ANY WAY OF NOT MAKING THIS AN ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TRADITION. I NEED TO SEND A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERY ONE OF YOU WHO HAS JOINED US THIS YEAR, YOU’RE AN AMAZING BUNCH AND I HOPE YOU WILL JOIN US ON MANY MORE AMAZING ADVENTURES.

THE CORNERSHOP SHENANIGANS

GUESS WHAT? 

KICKBACK GREW AGAIN THIS YEAR. WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT EARLIER THIS MONTH WE OPENED OUR THIRD KICKBACK COFFEE SHOP IN SALE. EVER SINCE I LIVED THERE OVER 10-YEARS AGO, I HAVE FOLLOWED THE GROWTH AND SUCCESS OF THE AREA WITH A CLOSE EYE. ALWAYS THINKING THAT SALE WOULD BE A GREAT LOCATION FOR A KICKBACK. THE UNIT WE FOUND, SLIGHTLY BY CHANCE - BUT THAT’S A DIFFERENT STORY - IS A VERY INTIMATE SPACE, A COSY SETTING TO GRAB A CUP OF THE GOOD STUFF OR TO PICK UP SOME FRESH BEANS. SO FAR, IT HAS BEEN VERY WELL RECEIVED. IN SOME CASES, PEOPLE HAVE EVEN BEEN GRATEFUL THAT WE’VE OPENED, WHICH SEEMS BIZARRE BUT TRUE. THIS IS A REFLECTION OF THE AMAZING WORK THAT OUR TEAM ALREADY DOES IN OUR EXISTING LOCATIONS TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL WELCOMED, TO MAKE THEM FEEL CONFIDENT THAT THEY’RE ABOUT TO RECEIVE A GREAT CUP OF COFFEE WITHOUT ANY OF THE NONSENSE.

MORE FACES, MORE FUN

OUR FAMILY GOT BIGGER! NEW TEAM MEMBERS JOINED THE TEAM, BRINGING FRESH IDEAS AND A TON OF ENERGY. IT SEEMS CRAZY TO THINK THAT ONLY 4-YEARS AGO IT WAS ONLY ME. NOW, SPREAD OVER ALL OF OUR SITES WE HAVE NEARLY 30 INCREDIBLE INDIVIDUALS, HELPING TO CURATE THE NEXT CHAPTERS IN THE KICKBACK COFFEE STORY.

GROWING A TEAM RELIES ON ME BEING ABLE TO GIVE UP RESPONSIBILITY, TRUST INDIVIDUALS AND ACCEPT THAT OTHERS HAVE A PASSION TO GROW KICKBACK COFFEE AS WELL. I GENUINELY LOVE IT WHEN I HEAR SUCCESSES THAT HAVE LITTLE TO DO WITH ME. THE AMOUNT OF PRAISE THAT KICKBACK RECEIVES WHICH HAS COME FROM THE HARD WORK OF SOMEONE ELSE IS INCREDIBLE AND MAKES ME VERY PROUD.

COFFEE AND A PASTRY, WHY NOT!

THIS KIND OF FLEW UNDER THE RADAR. IN LATE JANUARY, WE BECAME THE NEW CUSTODIANS OF THE MACCLESFIELD BASED BAKERY, FLOUR WATER SALT. IT ALL HAPPENED REALLY FAST BUT IT HAD BEEN AN IDEA FESTERING AWAY FOR 18-MONTHS PRIOR. WHEN WE SAW THE BUSINESS WAS IN FINANCIAL TROUBLE AND WAS LOOKING FOR NEW OWNERSHIP IT SEEMED PERFECTLY TIMED FOR US TO JUMP-RIGHT-IN. WE CHOSE A FAIRLY FAST TURNAROUND TO ADD SOME ‘KICKBACK SUBTLETIES’ TO THE BAKERY AND WENT ON A PATH TO PUT OUR APPROACH TO HOSPITALITY INTO A ONCE AMAZING BAKERY.

I HAVE ALWAYS SAID THAT COFFEE AND A CROISSANT IS THE PERFECT COMBINATION AND IF KICKBACK COFFEE IS TO GROW INTO A SMALL COLLECTION OF COFFEE SHOPS, THEN OUR DEMAND FOR PASTRIES AND CAKES WILL GROW PRETTY QUICK. WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF FLOUR WATER SALT INTO THE FAMILY, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO HELP CREATE AN OFFERING WHICH PAIRS WITH THE OUTSTANDING COFFEES ON OFFER. THIS IS AN AREA OF FLOUR WATER SALT THAT I AM REALLY EXCITED FOR. IMAGINE WALKING INTO A KICKBACK COFFEE AND BEING OFFERED A BAKED PAIRING TO GO WITH YOUR CHOSEN SINGLE ORIGIN COFFEE.

JOURNEY VIBES

LIFE IS ALL ABOUT THE JOURNEY, RIGHT? 

WELL, THIS YEAR, EVEN WITH ALL THE GROWTH THAT KICKBACK COFFEE HAS SEEN I’VE STILL HAD TIME TO DO SOME OF MY OWN ADVENTURES. SOME OF THIS IS DOWN TO THE AMAZING TEAMS THAT WE ARE PARTNERING WITH.

ONE THAT I PERSONALLY ENJOYED WAS THE PEAK DIVIDE, A CASUAL RUN FROM SHEFFIELD TO MANCHESTER ACROSS THE BEAUTIFUL PEAK DISTRICT. IN SEPTEMBER, I AGREED TO ATTEMPT ‘THE ONER’, A NEARLY 80KM WALK, JOG, RUN WITH AN AMAZING GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO LOOK FOR ACCESSIBLE CHALLENGES. THE WAY THAT THE TEAM AT PEAK DIVIDE HAVE CREATED THESE EVENTS, IT GENUINELY WAS ONE OF THE MOST ACCESSIBLE EVENTS I’VE TAKEN PART IN. THEY WERE SO SUPPORTIVE. NO MATTER WHAT YOUR ABILITY, THEY GIVE THE SUPPORT AND CONFIDENCE THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO COMPLETE. WE HAVE PLANS TO WORK WITH THE PEAK DIVIDE TEAM AGAIN IN THE NEW YEAR, SO IF YOU FANCY ATTEMPTING YOUR FIRST ULTRAMARATHON, I 100% RECOMMEND GETTING BOOKED ON. YOU’LL SMASH IT AND WON’T FORGET THE ADVENTURE.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR 2024?

HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS, BECAUSE 2024 IS GOING TO BE EVEN MORE EPIC! WE'RE DIVING INTO THE NEXT CHAPTER OF OUR STORY, AND YOU'RE ALL INVITED. AT THE ESSENCE OF EVERYTHING WE DO IS COFFEE AND THIS ISN’T GOING TO CHANGE BUT WE WANT TO BE KNOWN AS AN ADVENTURE COFFEE COMPANY, WHERE ADVENTURE COMES FIRST. WE PLAN TO SPEND 2024 SHARING MORE STORIES, CREATING MORE INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPLORE AND CONNECTING PEOPLE’S LOVE FOR THE OUTDOORS WITH OUR GROWING COMMUNITY.

2024 WILL BE ANOTHER YEAR WHERE WE PLAN FOR KICKBACK COFFEE TO KEEP GROWING. NOT JUST WITH MORE SHOPS BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY GROWING THE COMMUNITY AND CULTURE WE’RE TRYING TO BUILD. WE WANT TO HARNESS THE POWER OF COFFEE FUEL. USING COFFEE AS THE REASON TO GET UP AND ENJOY THE OUTSIDE. THE REASON TO CONNECT WITH OLD FRIENDS, NEW FRIENDS OR TO BRING FAMILIES TOGETHER. WE HOPE THAT 2024 WILL BE A YEAR WHERE PEOPLE SEE KICKBACK COFFEE AS A PLACE TO START AN ADVENTURE, A PLACE TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO EXPLORE, AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE 2024 THE YEAR WHERE MORE PEOPLE START SEEING WHAT IS RIGHT OUTSIDE THEIR BACKDOOR.

TALKING NUMBERS (NOT THE BORING KIND)

FINALLY, BECAUSE PEOPLE LOVE STATISTICS AND NUMBERS, I'VE PLUCKED OUT A FEW THAT WE’RE PRETTY PROUD OF FROM THIS YEAR. SO HERE GOES…

- 2 INCREDIBLE NEW STORES

- 13 FUN RUNS AND RAMBLES

- 18 OUTSTANDING COFFEES ROASTED

- 22,000 MILES DELIVERED BY OUR ELECTRIC FLEET

THERE ARE A LOT MORE STORIES TO COME AND THEY ARE SOMETHING THAT I CAN’T WAIT TO TELL. AS THE TEAM GROWS AND SOME OF MY RESPONSIBILITIES GET ASSIGNED TO OTHERS, I WOULD LIKE TO WRITE MORE. I WANT TO BE ABLE TO SHARE WHATS HAPPENING AND IMPART HOW PROUD I AM OF WHAT EVERYONE IS CREATING. SO FOR 2024 I PROMISE TO WRITE TO YOU ALL MORE OFTEN, BUT ONLY IF YOU WANT IT. IF NOT, IT WILL HAVE TO GO TO MY MUM INSTEAD!

THANKS FOR BEING THE HEART AND SOUL OF KICKBACK COFFEE, YOUR STORIES, SUPPORT, AND COFFEE-FUELLED ADVENTURES MAKE THIS JOURNEY UNFORGETTABLE. HERE'S TO AN EVEN MORE INCREDIBLE 2024.

THANK YOU AND ENJOY!