Bewley’s sells its UK coffee business to Cafédirect

The Dublin-based coffee and tea group will now focus on revamping its Irish business to attract younger consumers

Bewley’s UK business is primarily focused on the sale of its own-brand and Grumpy Mule retail packaged coffee | Photo credit: Grumpy Mule

Irish coffee and tea group Bewley’s has sold its UK coffee roasting and distribution business to long-term partner Cafédirect for an undisclosed sum. 

 

Dublin-based Bewley’s, which also operates a single café in the Irish capital, said the deal will enable the group to focus on the evolution of its business in Ireland following a recent rebrand aimed at ‘capturing a wider demographic’. 

 

Bewley’s UK business is primarily focused on the sale and distribution of its own-brand and Grumpy Mule retail packaged coffee to third-party cafés and other hospitality outlets. 

“We are particularly happy to be handing our UK business over to Cafédirect. As our relationship has grown over 15 years, it has become apparent that we are strategically placed to assist each other with our separate long-term goals. This leaves the Irish team to really focus on changing the face of Bewley’s in Ireland, where we are constantly innovating and investing in our team, our brand and our manufacturing facility,” said Jason Doyle, Managing Director Bewley’s Coffee and Tea. 

Founded in 1991, Cafédirect became the first coffee brand in the UK to carry the Fairtrade mark in 1994 and became the UK’s first B Corp-certified coffee company in 2018. 

The London-based wholesale retailer said the deal with Bewley’s, which has supplied Cafédirect from its Dublin roastery for the last 15 years, will grow its out-of-home presence. The transaction also includes a long-term agreement for Bewley’s to continue exclusively supplying all Cafédirect’s retail coffee. 

New World Coffee Portal research shows Cafédirect is a leading brand in UK’s at-home coffee market. 

Seven percent of UK consumers surveyed cited it as their favourite brand of ground or wholebean coffee to purchase from retailers, making it the 10th most popular, albeit drastically behind Costa Coffee and Lavazza (30%) and supermarket own brand coffee (32%).