Food Lover's Market partners with Seattle Coffee Co.

Travis Coppin, Food Lover’s Market spokesperson.

"We feel that consumers identify with Seattle's distinctive brand values, which speaks to fantastic quality coffee, a Direct Trade approach to working with farmers and passionately trained baristas. All of these quali-ties resonate with the Food Lover's Market approach to offering the best customer experience."

Apart from the obvious brand synergies, the acquisition provides Food Lover's Market with an opportunity to provide a world-class coffee experience in all of its stores.

"Initially I was apprehensive selling part of a business that Pete (Howie) and I have owned and operated passionately for 18 years. My comfort came as the relationship with Food Lover's Market developed and I realised that, at the heart of both businesses, is a passion and desire to do good things, which is not necessarily in an traditional fashion - but in the passionate same way," commented Barry Parker, MD of Seattle Coffee Co.

Parker credits the success of Seattle to it being a business based on relationships with its partners, baristas, roasters and suppliers. While the focus is on great coffee, investing in the training of baristas is key in the Seattle Coffee Co. business. "Our baristas are the face of our company and we guide the team behind them to deliver the best coffee we can," he says.

Currently, Seattle Coffee Co. has 21 Café Stores and one school offering, at St Johns College. In its partnership with Food Lover's Market and FreshStop, Seattle can currently be found at 64 FreshStop at Caltex stores and 13 Food Lover's Market Coffee Bars or Market Cafes.

Asked about the way forward, Parker and Coppin confirmed that the new partnership will ensure that Seattle Coffee Co. will have just over 100 outlets at Food Lover's Market cafés or bars by the end of 2015, and an additional 100 cafés or bars within a further three to five year period.

Coppin concludes: "We are excited about this new partnership with Barry and his team. As Food Lover's Market continues to grow and expand its unique fresh offering to consumers in sub-Saharan Africa, the partnership with Seattle Coffee Company is another testament to the fact that we are determined to offer a unique and dynamic retail experience."