Bewley’s, the Irish headquartered international coffee group, announced on 2 April the acquisition of UK coffee roaster Bolling Coffee based at Meltham, near Huddersfield in Yorkshire. This is Bewley’s second UK acquisition in 18 months, following its purchase of London-based Darlington’s Coffee in 2011. In a statement, Bewley's said that Bolling is a successful and growing business with annual revenues of approximately US$106 million. Terms were not disclosed.
Bolling employs 42 people and has a 1200 tonne coffee roasting facility. It supplies over 600 customers in over 1500 outlets nationwide. “Bolling has a well deserved reputation as one of the UK’s foremost coffee companies with skilled management, great customers and strong growth prospects,” said Bewley’s Managing Director, Jim Corbett, in a statement. “We are very pleased to have this opportunity to work with the Bolling team to open a new chapter in the company’s future. Bolling brings us UK nationwide sales and service capability, a UK roasting facility and considerable further expertise for our customers and the wider UK coffee market. Bewley’s will support Bolling’s further growth with significant ongoing investment in production capability, sales and marketing.” Established in 1840, Bewley’s is market leader in the fresh coffee foodservice and retail sector in Ireland. The company is renowned for its iconic Bewley’s Café on Dublin’s Grafton Street, which opened in 1927 and serves over 1 million customers annually. Bewley’s has a significant presence in the UK market and also has coffee roasting, distribution and café operations in the United States.
“Bolling and Bewley’s have very similar approaches to the marketplace with a commitment to sourcing the highest quality sustainable coffees from coffee producers while focusing on excellence at every point of customer contact through our customer care teams,” said Bolling Managing Director, Ian Balmforth in a statement “Combining the two companies provides a very exciting opportunity for Bolling to grow further given that Bewley’s has already established a presence in London.”
