Over the past few years, diners in the UK have become more open to trying new and exotic ingredients and cuisines. In fact, mixed world cuisine outlets grew by an average of 40 per cent per year between 2009-2014, according to a CBRE report looking at the restaurant market in the UK. UK consumers’ tastes are changing and the restaurant community has been at the heart of this transformation. Customers want new experiences, with different flavours and tastes that excite and intrigue them. Chefs can’t just rely on their reputations, they have to continue to create and innovate.
This expansion of the nation’s palate is not just about the food that is served in restaurants but also extends to the drinks served – in particular, the coffee. We are fast becoming a nation of coffee connoisseurs, with customers demanding high-quality coffees with new flavours and aroma profiles. Furthermore, guests want to know more about where their coffee comes from and how specific climates have created its complex taste.
For chefs, coffee is an incredibly important part of the meal – it is after all the customer’s last taste before they leave the restaurant. As much care needs to be taken when choosing coffee as with any of the other ingredients the chef chooses to serve. At Nespresso, we work in partnership with chefs across the country to help them understand the role of coffee in the dining experience and select the best coffee for their guests.
Just as diners wish to try new cuisines so too do they wish to explore new and interesting coffee flavours from across the world. To help chefs keep up with the growing number of coffee enthusiasts coming into their restaurants we have created a gourmet range of 11 Grand Cru coffees specifically for the restaurant industry. This range includes a variety of taste profiles and flavours including the ‘Pure Origin’ range where coffees are sourced from a single country of origin. The three Nespresso coffees, Lungo Origin Guatemala, Ristretto Origin India and Espresso Origin Brazil, offer a range of intensities and bring to life the essence of the countries from where they originate.
Innovation is at the heart of Nespresso, and likewise it is at the heart of chefs who wish to create new and exciting experiences for people. Since we launched 30 years ago, we have focused on bringing the latest in flavours, tastes and aromas to our customers in much the same way as a chef does when creating their menu. We’ve played a key role in supporting chefs for many years now through a number of initiatives, including the Nespresso Coffee Expertise Program, which aims to share knowledge and examples of best practice. Driven by mutual inspiration, this programme. focuses on quality as a premium experience and innovation in order to appeal to consumer demand.
We also host the Coffee Sommelier Program and the Nespresso Chef Academy, which are innovative, educational coffee and fine dining programmes for professional chefs and sommeliers. To date, 145 leading chefs have participated in the Nespresso Chef Academy and we are a recognised partner to numerous prestigious gastronomy associations.
This year, we are also incredibly proud to be supporting the 2016 UK National Chef of the Year. The UK is a world leader in gastronomy and this competition is a great way of celebrating talent and innovation across the country, something that we truly believe in here at Nespresso.
- Ian McDonald, B2B Commercial Manager Nespresso UK -
