After ditching uni (sorry mum!) I found myself doing what many young Brits do to escape responsibility – flee to Australia, on the pretence of a ‘working holiday’. On arrival I was caught sufficiently holidaying and soon found myself penniless in Melbourne, ‘coffee capital of the world.’

The goodwill (pity) of a local café offered me a job on the grounds that I could be barista trained in a couple of weeks, and against all odds, I did.  It was this challenge (and the threats of my landlord) that began my love affair with coffee. 

Returning back home I took a job at the local café overlooking the Common and my coffee obsession persisted. My home became a laboratory for coffee as I shipped in coffee from obscure corners of the globe taste testing, documenting and experimenting. 

 The only career path I could conceive was to set up my very own café, to share the joy of coffee to as many people as possible. Then, on looking round my kitchen I realised I could do one better and make good coffee even more accessible to people. From this, my journey as ‘Barista Next Door’ started!

- Archie, Barista Next Door