HIGH GRADE COFFEE
Specialty roasters and cafe, based at the Truman Brewery in the heart of East London’s Brick Lane.
High Grade is, in essence, a coffee shop with delusions of grandeur, run by hopelessly enthusiastic, overly familiar, nerds who like things to be really, really…nice. What started life as a naive dream of; “Wouldn’t it be cool to own one of those hidden gems off the beaten track.” Has so far run a 7 year course of being a quietly successful and very popular little business that now roasts its own coffee, makes its own food, and serves some of the finest product going, with a side order of personality and a big ol’ smile for afters.
Our mission is simple, to offer the best product possible, best for the consumer, the farmer, and the planet, and our ethos has always been “passion over profit” since starting in 2017.
THE ORIGIN STORY
Origin stories are cool, you get to see how the main characters were created, what traits or beliefs drive them, how their history shaped them to be what they were destined for, or what compelled them to veer away from their set path.
You get a sense of how important certain things are to the protagonist or indeed antagonist, there’s nuance, depth, and ultimately a payoff. This is nothing like that.
We like coffee, we make coffee. We like the planet, we make stuff that doesn’t hurt it. We love people and we hope they tolerate us back, we enjoy talking to people, exploring what makes coffee tick and what makes people tasty… umm… wait.
Liam’s beginnings in coffee were actually a by-product of being a bike mechanic and general nerd. Cool right? At the time, he worked as a bicycle mechanic in a little spot called Fullcity Cycles which was tucked into a little nook halfway down Leather Lane market.
Aside from repairing and building bikes, this little shop also happened to sell somewhat decent coffee. Learning how to make the stuff started off as a necessity, which in time became a hobby, and then turned into curiosity, soon after it was a passion, then an addiction, as well as an annoyance, often a welcome distraction, and eventually a vocation.
Liam claims that he always wanted to own a coffee shop, and that if he did, it should be the sort of hidden gem he would’ve loved to discover as a coffee lover, who enjoyed going on a jaunt away from the beaten tracks of London. He also says that whilst he loves the quality the specialty coffee scene produces, he doesn’t like the pomp and pretentiousness that often accompanies it, as such, his aim in starting High Grade was to make the best possible product, with the least amount of fuss, to make decent coffee accessible and simple to enjoy, and to try and not ruin the planet or the local community in the process. We think thus far it’s; job well done.
Shortly after conceiving and founding the company, Liam decided he needed a partner who was equal to the task of delivering this function and who was capable of furthering the vision of what High Grade could be… Instead, he found Stevie. Who, actually, was far more than any of the things Liam could’ve hoped for, and turned out to be the perfect piece of the puzzle that nobody even realised was missing.
Stevie will be the first to admit that, not long before embarking on his journey into specialty coffee, he was not actually a fan of the drink at all. He had no feelings toward it that would indicate a sense of enjoyment or passion, let alone something he would consider doing on a daily basis. However, as fate would have it, Stevie accidentally stumbled across a very good cup of coffee one day, and that, well, that changed everything.
From then on, he launched himself head first into the fiery chasm of viscous brown knowledge and swirly milk. Quitting his job, he found himself venturing into the land of the tweed-clad, plant-loving, sippers and slurps with a penchant for over caffeinating and underestimating, and in all but a few short months, Stevie had turned himself from novice, to a really tired novice, yet, showed an uncanny knack for being able to knock out top-notch espresso and very consistent drinks, with somewhat average product and equipment. Now that’s impressive!
After a couple of chance encounters and a few phone calls later, Liam and Stevie were united. Words were spoken and dreams were built. Through inane giggling, multiple splinters, a hellish June sun, many, many, many tangents, and ultimately a desire to collectively deliver a shared vision, High Grade was formed.
If you want to know the rest of the story, meet the team, and see how things are going so far. Then pop-in to the cafe to see Liam, Stevie & Emma, or drop them an email. They’d love to hear from you, and from experience, once you get them talking, it’s honestly very difficult to get them to stop. Which is the best thing ever. Trust me.
- Written with irony & humility by Liam, pretending to be someone else.
