The 12,000-square-foot The Gentlemen Baristas roastery, which opened in 2023 in Stratford. All images courtesy of The Gentlemen Baristas.
Origins 1450, the UK-based parent company of green coffee trader Qima Coffee, has acquired London’s The Gentlemen Baristas for an undisclosed sum.
In an announcement this week, Origins 1450 said the acquisition makes The Gentlemen Baristas the “UK’s first vertically integrated specialty coffee roastery.”
Origins 1450 and Qima Coffee Founder and CEO Faris Sheibani told Daily Coffee News that the acquisition includes all physical and intangible assets of The Gentleman Baristas, with the exception of one cafe location.
In March of 2023, The Gentlemen Baristas unveiled a new 12,000-square-foot production roastery in Stratford.
“It is a fundamental part of the business and will be a critical engine of growth and impact,” Sheibani said. “The roastery will also remain in its current location.”
The cafe next to the Borough Market.
The Gentlemen Baristas was founded in 2014 by Henry Ayers and Ed Parkes before growing to comprise 11 cafe locations around London by 2022.
The brand has since pared down its retail footprint, and it was entered into administration in January 2024, noting numerous outstanding debts. The company was acquired out of administration in March of this year for £785,000 ($1.03 million as of today), according to UK government records.
While Origins 1450 did not share additional financial details of the acquisition, Sheibani said Parkes will maintain an ownership stake.
The company will continue to operate the existing The Gentlemen Baristas cafe next to the historic Borough Market in London Bridge while seeking to re-expand the retail footprint, according to Sheibani.
The Gentlemen Baristas warehouse.
The acquisition is expected to dramatically reshape the coffee roaster’s green coffee sourcing operations, given the connection to Qima Coffee, the UK-based trader that launched with a focus on Yemen coffees before expanding to imports from Colombia, Ecuador and elsewhere.
“With Origin 1450’s and Qima Coffee’s upstream operations and vertically integrated supply chain, The Gentlemen Baristas will by extension become the UK’s first and only fully integrated roasting business,” Sheibani told DCN. “This presents a whole host of exciting opportunities including higher levels of quality, traceability, and product diversity. Customers should expect to see a broader offering, carefully curated to cater to diverse preferences, including both more cost-effective options and premium and super-premium selections.”
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Nick Brown
Nick Brown is the editor of Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine.
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