Why service not size should be focus for ambitious firms

James Hoffmann, World Barista Champion 2007 and founder of Square Mile Coffee Roasters, a small roastery based in East London, said many companies forget the importance of customer service as they get bigger.

Square Mile claims to source the best seasonal and traceable coffees it can. It roasts them and supplies them to businesses within London.

“I don’t think companies should grow for the sake of growth,” he said. “I want to get to a certain size and invest in getting better and better. I don’t want to be nationwide, I want to keep local.”

He added: “Sometimes people underestimate the importance of customer service and they concentrate on the product. We want to make coffee more accessible and enjoyable.”

Mr Hoffmann was speaking at the Be World Class conference, organised by Yorkshire-based sport psychologist and performance coach Simon Hartley, which was held in Newcastle.

The event saw Mr Hartley, who lives in Whixley, between Leeds and Harrogate, interview a number of people, who are world-class in their chosen fields, in front of a 120-strong audience at the Live Theatre.

Asked what the likes of Starbucks thought of his company, Mr Hoffmann said: “It has been interesting talking to big coffee companies because it’s not been a great three years for them. They think people have become value-conscious but we decided that people would still pay for their coffee if you offered a decent experience.”

Besides Mr Hoffmann, other participants in the Be World Class event included Chris Cook, gold medal winning 100m breaststroke swimmer; top adventure racer Bruce Duncan; Kenny Atkinson, director of Food at Rockliffe Hall Hotel; Keir Worth, head of performance at England Squash, and Steve McNichol, managing partner of law firm Muckle, which helped to organise the event.

Mr Duncan, who has won the gruelling Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race in southern Chile three times as well as representing Britain at mountain bike orienteering and winning other races, spoke about mental toughness.

“Your body is an amazing machine,” he said. “If you push through that boundary it becomes so much easier.”

He also recalled the Epic Tri, a six-day endurance challenge, incorporating the UK’s three biggest endurance events in running, cycling and kayaking, which he completed in April this year. “The muscle in my leg swelled up and it was really painful going downhill. I was in agony and it was a potential showstopper,” he said. “But the knowledge of how many people had put time in to get us where we were really spurred me on.”