2023 KIN+ILK Wrapped
As the year draws to a close, we're taking a moment to reflect on 2023.. So, grab your go-to KIN+ILK coffee, sit back, any enjoy!
We kicked off the year by visiting our farmer, Fernando Lima, in El Salvador. This yearly trip, in collaboration with Clifton Coffee is an incredible opportunity for KIN+ILK. As we’ve spoken about before, direct trade for us is much more than cutting out to the middleman, we like to visit and strengthen our relationship with Fernando and get to visit the crops.
In April, we were invited by La Maazacco and Clifton Coffee to be a part of the ‘True Artisan Cafe’ in London coffee festival. We showcased Finca El Corozo and even introduced the 'KINBERNITO' cocktail. Made with Barti rum, Finca El Corozo, homemade tomato consomme and tonic water. Not only did we get to enjoy the festival but our Director, Haydn took part in a panel discussion about successfully growing your business.
In May, we launched our online loyalty app, Embargo, as a way to reward our customers directly and reduce paper waste from previous loyalty programs. Stay tuned for upcoming Veganuary discounts via Embargo.
In June, we announced a significant change in the crop for Finca El Corozo, switching from a honey process to a washed process. If you’d like to read more on this and what that means to the change in taste, click here. To celebrate the change in crop, we hosted an event with Clifton Coffee, featuring nibbles, cocktails, a latte art competition, and the 'Faces Of Origin' exhibition by James Pipkin.
In August, we teamed up with Cardiff Hospo Team to mark Hospitality Week. We organised a latte art competition with MOMA and a BSL workshop with Signing Works to cover some industry terms.
Throughout the year we enjoyed creating events which included the local community so during Pride month we wanted to create a Queer Art Exhibition however we thought why not celebrate pride all year round? Our first event took place on October 26th, featuring six incredible artists. All drink proceeds were donated to Trans-Aid Cymru.
Building on the success, our second Queer Art Show on November 18th at the Central Library featured six new artists and a thought-provoking panel discussion led by Andrew Hinchliff and Norena Shopland, celebrating the incredible Queer individuals in Wales.
Whilst our not-so-recent collaboration KIN X The Old Bank was created in November 2022 we had the pleasure of having our one year anniversary. KIN X The Old Bank has been amazing for us to be part of a vibrant village such as Dinas Powys and be incredibly welcomed by the community there. We hope to celebrate our one year in the new year so keep an eye out on our socials @kinxoldbank.
To wrap up the year, we asked our Instagram followers to help us choose a local cause for our Christmas 'Grab and Go' range. The community spoke, and we're proud to support Head Above The Waves, donating 25p for every sandwich/baguette purchased.
As we say goodbye to 2023, we are incredibly grateful for your continued support. Here's to a fantastic year and looking forward to the exciting adventures that 2024 will bring!