We like a compliment as much as the next person (or company). In just the last five or so months, it’s fair to say we’ve been getting about online - from little ‘big-ups’ in a variety of listicles, to our expert staff offering soundbites on their coffee knowledge. We’ve even had full-blown articles written about who Pact is and what we’re doing! We could tell you all that ourselves, sure, but why not see what other people are saying?

The people of Pact

Business Insider sat down with Will, our resident expert and Head of Coffee, to chat about the mistakes people make with coffee:

Corby has been working in the coffee industry for 12 years, has won and judged global barista awards, ran his own coffee shops, and also has experience roasting.

_“For the past 12 years, I’ve specialised in the absolute pinnacle of coffee quality _

_and optimising the process of growing it, shipping it, importing it, brewing it,” he _

said.

He’s also been a head judge — appointed by the Colombian government — for the Colombian National Quality Competition for the past two years. Now at Pact Coffee, he works on relationships with coffee founders to “develop practices, and increase quality and production in a sustainable manner,” he said.

_“We want to show the coffee in the best light we can, brew the coffee in the best _

possible way, [and] provide it to [people] in a way that makes it easy.”

It’s not just Will’s talents that have been showcased, however - we’ve got plenty of coffee aficionados in Pact HQ, including Senior Customer Champion Melissa. In an article from The Independent regarding the meteoric rise of the flat white, Mel featured as a (non-talking) talking head:

_And, as Pact Coffee expert Melissa Dabbs says, “It’s also become the go-to drink for _

coffee connoisseurs.”

Pact Coffee: a success story

We’re pretty pleased to be recognised as the all-cupping and all-tasting coffee experts we are, but it’s also been great to see some flattering features on Pact’s wares. In June of this year, Pact made Esquire’s ‘Best Subscription Boxes for Men’ list (though great coffee is for everyone as far as we’re concerned!):

Coffee subscriptions are the backbone of the subscription box industry, and Pact’s are a top example. Pick how highly localised you want your coffee – you can get a cheaper blend or a more exclusive single estate brew – before choosing how you like to drink it and how often you need topping up, then wait for your coffee safe in the knowledge that Pact pay producers more for their beans than Fairtrade on average.

Thanks, Esquire - high praise indeed! We also got props (again!) from The Independent, for our coffee capsules:

Pact is on a mission to cut out the middle man and pay more directly to the independent coffee farmers. This results in you getting more delicious coffee for your buck (and spending less on the supply chain).

Both of its pod blends come from Brazil, and we found this medium roast to be a real crowd-pleaser. Expect a punch of dark chocolate, a slightly tart note of cherries and creamy almond to round things off. They work best as a shorter serve – go for the dark roast if you prefer to add milk.

Pact progressing

There’s well and truly been a (coffee) buzz about Pact’s people and performance, but what about our progress? We’ve seen some big changes in the past year, including a new Managing Director joining and the start of Pact Coffee for Business. Here’s Business Quarter, talking to MD Paul Turton about what to do when start-ups grow up:

_There are many different strategies available to a start-up to change path, including _

making a bold step to pivot and changing market direction. Very often, to execute this, a change of leadership and transformation of focus is the most appropriate and effective course of action.

\ (…)

Starting a company is an incredibly exciting time, filled with passion, innovation and changes at every turn; one thing that is for sure is that you can never predict what is around the corner. Be open to changes that may transform your business for the better and open your eyes to new opportunities. If you communicate, stick to your values and build in controls below the surface, your company will get back on the right path and remain as strong as ever.

Great advice, Paul! And speaking of new directions, Compelo featured Pact Coffee’s move into B2B with Pact Coffee for Business (formerly Pact at Work):

Pact Coffee is a London-based start-up that has racked up 40,000 regular subscribers while focusing on the consumer market over the past six years, but has been developing a B2B proposition since November last year. Already, major companies packed with young employees like JustEat, TransferWise, Trustpilot, Trainline and Vice Media have signed up to receive freshly-roasted “specialty coffee” via the new Pact at Work scheme.

\ (…)

The latest growth spurt is down to the promising beginning experienced by Pact at Work, which started at the same time Paul joined the company – a move that coincided with Stephen stepping down as CEO and moving into a chairman role. Paul, who has a background in B2B retail sales and management, saw the opportunity for a corporate offer. In return for a monthly fee calculated per employee, corporate customers have specialty coffee delivered to their office door, along with free installation of a machine for distributing the hot drinks.

We’re really excited about how we’re growing - it’s even meant we’ve had to supersize our roastery to keep up with demand, as Insider Media has featured for us:

A coffee subscription service has revealed plans for the creation of a new roaster in Surrey. Pact Coffee, which is headquartered in Bermondsey and serves more than 40,000 subscribers, will develop the facility in Haslemere.

As part of the expansion, the company has recently launched a business-to-business service, ‘Pact Coffee for Business’, to provide premium coffee to offices and workspaces across the UK.

Be a part of Pact

From expert opinions and quality coffee, to business growth and roastery relocation, we’ve enjoyed reading about everything that’s been going on in the last year. In fact, we’re a bashful lot, so we’re not going to say anything else. Ok, fine. Just one more thing - if you liked what you read, you or your office can get involved in our story too!