What Bewiched Coffee does

Bewiched Coffee is a UK specialty coffee chain founded in November 2010 by Matt Fountain in Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, and has since grown into a multi-location operator across the Midlands. The business is structured around three formats: walk-in retail coffee shops, drive-thru coffee locations (a relatively differentiated format in the UK specialty segment), and the Northampton Grosvenor Barista School, which monetizes internal barista expertise through paid training classes, gift vouchers, and corporate team-building sessions. Beyond physical retail, Bewiched sells freshly roasted 100% Arabica coffee beans direct-to-consumer via an e-commerce storefront (1KG and 250g formats, with a Subscribe & Save monthly option), and distributes surplus end-of-day food through a Too Good To Go partnership. The company also operates a Bewiched Rewards mobile application supporting loyalty accrual, store locator, click & collect, and home delivery ordering.

The underlying technology stack is intentionally lean and consumer-facing rather than AI-driven: the primary proprietary asset is the rewards mobile application, with no disclosed integrations, APIs, AI/ML features, or platform extensibility. The core operational technology is a codified barista training program that distills knowledge from producing over 500,000 coffees per year, plus structured employee sub-brands (Brew Crew for team members and Brew Guru for store managers) that function as internal training and recognition frameworks rather than technology platforms.

The business model combines transactional retail revenue (per-cup coffee, food, and treats across walk-in and drive-thru locations), subscription recurring revenue (coffee beans at a 10% discount), one-time class and voucher fees (beginner and intermediate barista training, individual and group pricing tiers), and partnership-based surplus food sales. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer with regional concentration in Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Cambridgeshire, and Leicestershire, supported by organic social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), Google Reviews collection, and email newsletter capture. The company is founder-owned, bootstrapped via personal savings, redundancy money, and bank financing, and incorporated as Bewiched Coffee Ltd in England.

Name

Bewiched Coffee

Legal name

Bewiched Coffee Ltd

Website

https://bewiched.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Bewiched Coffee is a UK specialty coffee chain founded in 2010 by Matt Fountain, operating 20+ walk-in and drive-thru locations across the Midlands, with e-commerce bean subscriptions, a rewards mobile app, and a paid barista training academy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Retail

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Drive-Thru Coffee Stands & Coffee Kiosks (THAFADAK), Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE), Cafe-Bakeries (Bakery + Coffee/Foodservice) (THAFAFAG)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee retail
• Drive-thru coffee
• Barista training classes
• Coffee bean subscription
• Coffee shop chain

Headquarters

HQ city

Northampton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices22 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Coffee and Food Sales: In-store coffee and food sales across walk-in stores and drive-thru locations throughout the Midlands region.
2. Online Coffee Bean Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of freshly roasted coffee beans (1kg and 250g) through online shop with subscription option offering 10% discount.
3. Barista Training Classes: Hands-on barista training classes at Northampton Grosvenor Barista School. Classes available in beginner and intermediate levels, for individuals and groups, with corporate team building for up to 10 participants.
4. Drive-Thru Operations: Drive-thru coffee service at dedicated locations in Northampton and Wellingborough areas.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bewiched Coffee operates a Midlands-based coffee shop chain selling freshly roasted artisan coffee, food, and treats through walk-in stores and drive-thru locations. The business also runs a barista training school (beginner and intermediate classes) and sells branded coffee beans online with subscription options. A loyalty mobile app supports click & collect and home delivery ordering.

Product overview

Bewiched Coffee is a UK-based coffee shop chain operating across the Midlands with a portfolio of walk-in stores, drive-thru locations, barista training services, and retail coffee products. The core offering consists of physical retail locations offering freshly roasted artisan coffee and food, complemented by three drive-thru sites for convenience ordering. The business extends its offering through the Northampton Grosvenor Barista School, which provides beginner and intermediate barista training classes (both individual and group formats) and sells gift vouchers for these experiences. An e-commerce platform sells Bewiched branded coffee beans in 1KG and 250g formats with subscription options. A loyalty and rewards mobile app enables customers to earn rewards, locate stores, and access click and collect and home delivery services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brew Crew: Employee branding program for baristas and team members at Bewiched Coffee stores
• Brew Guru
• Bewiched Barista School

Products and services

• Walk-In Coffee Shops Traditional retail coffee shop locations across the Midlands offering freshly roasted artisan coffee, food, and treats. Multiple store formats including standard walk-in stores.
• Drive-Thru Locations Convenient drive-thru coffee locations in Northampton (Darnell Way, Great Billing) and Wellingborough (Glenvale), allowing customers to order and collect without leaving their vehicles.
• Beginner Barista Class Two-hour hands-on barista training covering coffee history, equipment, espresso extraction, grinder calibration, milk texturing, and drink creations for cappuccino, latte, and flat white. Participants receive a certificate of participation.
• Intermediate Barista Class Two-and-a-half hour advanced barista training focusing on crafting perfect espresso recipes, grinder calibration, dose and yield precision, puck preparation, espresso extraction mastery, and advanced milk texturing techniques.
• Bewiched Coffee Beans 1KG Freshly roasted 100% Arabica blend with cupping notes of milk chocolate, peanut, and green grape. Available as one-time purchase at £23.99 or subscribe-and-save at £21.59 monthly.
• Bewiched Beans 250g Freshly roasted 100% Arabica blend with cupping notes of milk chocolate, peanut, and green grape. Smaller 250g pack priced at £12.99.
• Barista Training Beginner Class Voucher Gift voucher for the beginner barista training class led by senior coffee experts at the Northampton Grosvenor Barista School. Ideal for gift experiences.
• Barista Training Intermediate Class Voucher Gift voucher for the intermediate barista training class at the Northampton Grosvenor Barista School, covering advanced espresso techniques and milk texturing.
• Bewiched Rewards App Mobile application enabling customers to claim rewards, find nearest store locations, and arrange click and collect or home delivery. Available on iOS via Apple App Store.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Too Good To GocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBewiched Coffee has partnered with Too Good To Go to combat food waste. At the end of each day, stores bag up food that would otherwise go to waste and customers can purchase these items at huge discounts via the Too Good To Go app. This partnership supports sustainability goals while providing value to customers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pret A Manger: UK food-and-coffee chain with subscription loyalty model and commuter-focused sites — overlapping with Bewiched on the food-plus-coffee proposition and convenience use case.
• Greggs: UK food-on-the-go chain with growing coffee offering across a national high-street and roadside estate — adjacent competitor for breakfast and snack occasions alongside coffee.
• Starbucks UK: Global coffee incumbent with UK store estate, drive-thru sites, mobile ordering, and bean retail — overlapping with Bewiched on all key formats but at much greater scale.

Direct peers

• Costa Coffee: UK's largest coffee chain with walk-in, drive-thru, and packaged coffee formats — directly comparable to Bewiched's specialty positioning, multi-format retail model, and in-store bean retail.
• 200 Degrees Coffee: UK specialty coffee chain operating walk-in cafés with in-house roastery and bean retail — comparable to Bewiched's vertically integrated roastery-cafe model.
• AMT Coffee: UK coffee chain with strong travel-hub presence (stations, airports) — comparable to Bewiched's Wellingborough Train Station location and commuter-driven proposition.
• Coffee#1: Welsh/South-West UK specialty coffee chain with multi-store estate and barista training programmes — comparable regional specialty positioning and recently acquired by Caffè Nero, providing a relevant M&A benchmark for Bewiched.
• Harris + Hoole: UK specialty coffee chain with espresso-led menus and a regional multi-store estate — directly comparable on specialty positioning and store-format mix.
• Caffè Nero: UK specialty-style coffee chain with espresso-led menus and in-store seating — closely comparable to Bewiched's walk-in store estate, specialty coffee focus, and bean retail.
• Boston Tea Party: Independent UK specialty coffee chain with a comparable multi-store estate, food offering, and ethical/sustainability positioning — directly relevant comparable on size and format mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Bewichedcoffee
• Facebookfacebook.com/bewichedcoffee
• Instagraminstagram.com/bewichedcoffee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bewiched-coffee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bewiched Coffee