We asked our co-founder Callum to chat to you guys about what inspired him to get into the coffee industry in the first place and his achievements so far - take it away Callum...
I got hooked on speciality coffee on the 16th August 2013. Visiting one of the most famous coffee shops globally Colonna & Smalls in Bath, I was recommended a Kenyan flat white on my first sip it was bursting with blackcurrant notes and baked cheesecake. Fast forward 6 years and here I am now! I am so proud to have founded Fire & Flow, I love being able to develop new and exciting coffees and I am so excited about working with the team to grow our Cotswold based coffee roasters across the UK.
Where it all started...
I started my career in coffee working with one of the most respected coffee roasters nationally. With no coffee making skills just a pure drive and passion for coffee. They took me from a home barista into an SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) UK Barista Championship competitor and heat winner within my first 2 years in the industry.
- In my 6 years in the industry, I am really proud to have competed in the UK Barista Championships 4 times, winning 3 heats and becoming a 2x finalist
- I’ve been lucky enough to sit on the South West Coffee guide committee for 3 years running
- I had an amazing time being featured on BBC radio to talk about coffee and happiness, alongside producing a 5 day show on brewing better coffee at home
- I was featured in the ‘30 under 30 to watch in the coffee industry’ article in Caffeine Magazine
It's all about the support...
In my years in the industry, I’ve consulted on and supported the coffee offering of hundreds of coffee shops, hotels, restaurants, large groups and food service management companies. One of my favorite parts of supporting new openings is being a consultant. Not just on building a fantastic menu, but also what equipment you need, what you need to plug it all in and where to put it on your bar to make the most of your space and set you up for when you get nice and busy.
Supporting so many openings means I’ve trained a serious amount of baristas in my time. I’ve always enjoyed watching baristas progress, it's such a pleasure to see baristas I have trained becoming so well respected within the coffee industry. It’s great to put down all that I have learned into Fire & Flow's training programs. I’ve really tried to cover everything and more to set our partners up for success.