Minute on the clock: Rosie Culley, founder, Rose & Thorn Coffee

The founder of Rose & Thorn Coffee in Harwich, Essex, was given a helping hand in finding her equipment and setting up her business by coffee supplier Paddy & Scotts. She talks to Victoria Miller

You studied film and television at university – what made you enter the world of coffee?

I had no interest in coffee when I first started working at Cineworld in Ipswich after university, but I when I moved into Cineworld’s Starbucks a year later, that was when I got drawn into the world of coffee.

Starbucks has a pretty great training scheme called coffee master training, in which you can learn how coffee is grown and the process behind it. I was there for four years and I also had stints at Starbuck’s drive-through and its high street store, which are both in Ipswich.

What was your experience of hospitality before joining Paddy & Scott’s?

I think I have every level of experience. At Starbucks we had time to take care over the coffee-making, whereas at the drive-through speed and convenience was very important. There is some value in that and I had a lot of fun learning how to do things really fast, but it takes away from the value and love of coffee.

When you have time to care about every part of the coffee-making process, instead of making money and getting as many people coffee as quickly as possible, the results are better for the barista and the customer as well.

What attracted you to Paddy & Scott’s and the role?

I actually wanted to work at Paddy & Scott’s for years as I had heard they do great coffee. When I left my barista job at the cinema, I got a message on LinkedIn from Jon Reed, the chief executive, who asked if I knew of any baristas as the company had some supervisor roles going. I replied and said, “I can do this myself”. It came out of nowhere, but it just felt right. I also didn’t realise they are Ipswich-based. I always say I don’t believe in fate, but it seemed to work here.

Paddy & Scott’s supported you in setting up your café – what did the company do for you?

I’ve only worked in the day-to-day running of a café, but Paddy & Scotts knows how to start a business, how to manage it, how to hire staff – I needed its support. Jon helped me with my business plan and loan application, giving me a bunch of resources. I also talked to Zoe [Hill, head of operations], who gave me the financial side of running a business and helped me make my plans. If I had something I didn’t know, I would go straight to them.

They also helped me source a coffee machine as I didn’t know where to start. Purely coincidentally, at the same time we were looking for a machine, a hotel in Harwich called the Pier was upgrading its coffee machines. Jon knew about this so I managed to get one of the Pier’s old machines for free.

Why did you choose Harwich as the location for your café?

I have lived here almost my entire life and the place I have now has always been a café. It’s just up the road from my house and I would walk past it and get my coffee from here. Around the time when I had the idea of setting up my own café, the coffee shop closed unexpectedly. It felt like the right thing to do and everything fell into place.

What coffee and other products are you using at the café?

I stock Paddy & Scott’s coffee. I didn’t need to use the coffee, but I wanted to because it’s really good. I put in my first order and the head of the warehouse ended up throwing in a few extra bags. Jon told me: “We’ve given you a few extra free things to start you off”, which was really lovely.

Our cakes are supplied by Just Desserts and for sandwiches I have been talking to sandwich supplier Sarnivores in Woodbridge, which is also a Paddy & Scott’s supplier.