Member Article

Chester coffee empire expands with new roastery and job plans

ETHICS and an entrepreneurial spirit have been the perfect blend for a talented coffee aficionado who will further expand his business later this year.

Patrick White launched Jaunty Goat in Bridge Street, Chester, seven years ago.

Focused on providing customers with sustainable, quality coffee and outstanding service, the 30 year-old has since added two more outlets – an animal free vegan cafe of the same name in Northgate Street, and an independent bakery - and will unveil a roastery in the coming months.

Backed all the way by law firm Mackenzie Jones, based in St Asaph, Menai Bridge and Chester, Patrick is planning to grow further and add to their 37-strong team.

However, his current priority is continuing to lower their carbon footprint by bringing the wholesale side of the business in-house.

“Opening the bakery 12 months ago and now the roastery will enable us to produce everything ourselves and capitalise on opportunities which arose during the pandemic,” said Patrick.

“An example is how we now operate a more restaurant-style table service, which has been a breath of fresh air and allowed us to increase our takeaway offering. We basically want to bring everything together and showcase the progress made in past years to a wider audience.

“We also looked closely at the wholesale side of the business and after visiting Costa Rica a few years ago, decided to roast our own coffee and import it directly from the farmers.

“We pay two or three times the market price, but it means they are treated fairly, we have more flexibility over production and with the roastery in place it will be a positive move from a logistical perspective.”

Supplying big names such as Hickory’s restaurants, Bar Lounge, The Hollies Farm Shop and Chester Zoo, Jaunty Goat sources coffee from across Central and South America, including Colombia, Costa Rica, and Brazil.

The new roastery will be based out of the Arches industrial units in Kitchen Street.

“Jaunty Goat was originally about creating a brand and a presence so I could share with people what great coffee is, and from there it just grew and grew,” said Patrick.

“The plan is to open more shops when the time and location are right – probably in Shropshire and the North West – to reach the next level and spread the word even further.

“Right now, we are in a good place, coming out of the pandemic with confidence and able to control our own destiny – we are very happy and excited to see how things progress.”

Mackenzie Jones director Andrew Foley-Jones congratulated Patrick and was “heartened” to see how far the concept has come in such a short space of time.

“Patrick has expanded the business while ensuring the people around him – the customers, staff and importantly, the farmers who produce this amazing coffee – are at the heart of all decisions, which is testament to his ethos and approach,” said Andrew.

“We are proud to have been with him on this journey and wish the team at Jaunty Goat every success for the future.”

Reinforcing those comments, Patrick said: “In the past we’ve struggled to connect with the legal firms and accountants because they were very old fashioned and stuck in their ways, very different from the way we do things.

“That certainly hasn’t been the case with Mackenzie Jones, who have given us peace of mind and involved us in the process when making big decisions, especially during the pandemic – we appreciate their support and can’t recommend them enough.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Martin James Williams .