2025 Wrapped
Another wonderful year at KIN+ILK! As always, in this blog we’ve shared some of our highlights from the year. There have been far too many to fit into one post, so here are just a few of the major moments.
KIN Community
This year we launched our KIN Community - our amazing mailing list. We really wanted to create a space that offered exclusive discounts, genuinely useful content, and plenty of fun games. Every other Wednesday we share an exciting deal, and on the alternate weeks we send updates, behind-the-scenes content, and a game for even more chances to win goodies. The response has been incredible, and we’ve loved building this with you!
Matcha March
At KIN+ILK we love matcha. This year we switched our matcha supplier to the incredible Japanese brand Ikomiki - you can read more about them here. Matcha March brought a whole range of delicious drinks, including our very own Matcha & Pistachio Whipped Cream creation!
Gracie Abrams
Now… this collaboration was not on our 2025 bingo card.
Gracie Abrams’ team approached us to partner for her HQ - a dedicated space for fans to head to after the gig for a debrief and to collect free merch. We were honestly so excited she chose a local independent for this!
Guest Coffee
It’s been a brilliant year for coffee, especially our guest lineup. We’ve had the honour of serving some truly delicious and unique coffees from these incredible roasteries:
Round Hill
Machina
Ninth Coffee Roastery
Skylark
Dark Arts
Clifton Coffee Roasters
KIN X Clothing Culture
We were approached by the amazing team at Clothing Culture for a limited-edition collaboration based on our shared ethos & being so close to each other in St Davids. The collection they created was incredible and felt so KIN+ILK. To celebrate, we hosted an event at St Davids with a live DJ & saxophonist (Deep Cut Grooves), a friendly latte art competition, and lots of first-timers trying latte art. Oh, and Matcha Margaritas made an appearance too.
Geisha - The Last Pour
2025 was the year we officially poured our last drop of Geisha. We were incredibly proud to have sourced an El Corozo coffee from a different varietal. Geisha is renowned for its elegant, complex flavour profile - delicate and deeply influenced by soil, climate, and careful processing. A huge thank you to everyone who tried it, whether you enjoyed a V60 in-store or picked up a bottle to take home! Stay tuned for potential 2026 Geisha…
Indie Coffee for Palestine
We were proud to be part of an amazing campaign created by Boss & Brew Academy - a group of independent coffee shops across Cardiff coming together to raise money and awareness for Palestine. It was powerful, important, and something we were honoured to join!
Book Club
We were thrilled to launch the very first KIN Community Book Club, hosted by the incredible Paige (@turningpageswithpaige_). It has been such a joy to host in Pontcanna.
Each Wednesday is amazing, and a little different from your typical book club - a space to talk about books we’ve recently loved, discover new reads, and, of course, choose the next book together. Keep an eye on KIN Community events… There may be a writing club coming soon.
Sephora
Another huge collaboration for us this year was with Sephora. We were asked to serve delicious drinks to the people queueing for their launch from Mango Matcha to Flat Whites to White Hot Chocolates. It was hectic, wonderful, and surreal in the best way. We loved seeing another global brand choose an independent to support the event.
Ty Hafan
Each year we choose a charity to support through special drinks and events.
After asking our community, the overwhelming answer was Ty Hafan. They do incredible work, and we’re proud to support them this year through our winter drinks. Going into 2026, we’re planning even more events to continue that support. A highlight was Black Friday - instead of discounts, we doubled the donation for the day. Click here to read more about Ty Hafan.
Miso
Speaking of winter drinks… we wanted to create something truly special and unique to us.
So, we made our own homemade miso caramel - nutty, umami, and utterly delicious.
Our main winter drink uses this with real white chocolate. If you love Gold Bars or caramelised white chocolate, imagine that… but in a drink.
We’re so excited to head into 2026 after such a wonderful 2025 at KIN+ILK. We want to say a massive thank you to our fantastic team - and, of course, to you. Thank you for visiting us, coming to our events, engaging with us online, and drinking our coffee.
Finally… we turn 10 years old at the beginning of next year, so keep an eye out for some pretty big celebrations!