NewGround

Getting to know Joel Grates – Co-Founder of NewGround.

What's the story behind NewGround and how did it all start?

Coffee with conviction. NewGround was launched at the start of 2018 by Dickon and Joel. The vision is to become the best coffee brand in Europe, whilst also giving every ex-offender in the UK the opportunity to never reoffend. New pushes boundaries. It is thinking differently about what has come before and never settling for the ordinary.

At NewGround, this is at the heart of everything we do. From our ethically sourced high-grade coffee carefully selected from small-scale farms around the world, to our state-of-the-art facilities where we expertly roast each batch to reveal new exciting flavours every time.

We believe coffee can go beyond the cup and can be used as a catalyst for change right here in our very own communities. This is why we use our business to create work and training opportunities for ex-offenders across the UK giving some of the most overlooked people in society a new beginning.

Can you share more about your approach to sourcing and roasting coffee?

Quality and transparency are the key factors for us when sourcing coffees. Our coffees change throughout the year with new and exciting coffees arriving at our roastery month on month.

We listen to our customers and select coffees which we know they'll love. It’s the best bit of our jobs – that feeling when you know you’re showcasing new coffees well. Doing it justice for all the many hands that have worked so hard.

On top of this, transparency and relationship are key to a sustainable future for coffee. As a B-Corp, we pride ourselves on always striving to do the right thing, with a huge part of this being our supply chain.

What motivated NewGround to explore the capsule coffee format?

Both Dickon and Joel have young families, and trying to get 10mins to weigh out, grind, wet a filter paper and pour a perfect filter on a school day is well.. impossible. Our eyes were opened to exceptional capsules through MORNING — once we’d tried a few brews, we knew our morning caffeine fix was sorted, without compromising on flavour!

Whilst this morning rush caffeine fix was sorted, we realised that capsules can be so much more than that. We’ve enjoyed the process of refining our capsules and know our customers enjoy them throughout the day.

We all have our morning routines, and coffee is often a crucial part of it. What is your morning ritual like?

Having a MORNING Machine has changed rituals. Even on a slow, relaxed day, before putting an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe on the Moccamaster to enjoy throughout the morning, a quick short brew on the MORNING goes down perfectly.

What are you most excited about right now and for the future of NewGround?

We are really pumped to continue with our vision to become the best coffee brand in Europe, whilst also giving every ex-offender in the UK the opportunity to never reoffend. We’re not there yet, but we have a roadmap for both of these goals. We’re patient and we have a great team, so we’re confident for our future.