Leeds-based North Star Coffee Roasters rebrands as it aims for growth

North Star Coffee Roasters sources, roasts and supplies ethically produced coffee to retailers across the UK, and has recently undergone a rebrand as the business moves forward with growth opportunities following the COVID-19 pandemic.

A spokesman said: "North Star founders Holly and Alex Kragiopoulos met at university in Newcastle in 2009 where Holly was studying Human Geography specialising in Sustainable Development whilst Alex was studying History with a particular focus on East Africa.

"Following university Holly got a job in the coffee importing industry to learn how the system operated whilst Alex learned the ins and outs of roasting coffee."

In 2013 they created a business of their own, North Star Coffee, after securing a 5kg roaster which was being stored in a donkey shed in Wales by a coffee enthusiast.

Holly said: “At that time Leeds didn’t have much of an independent coffee scene where the focus was on quality and ethics, with London and Bristol leading the way. It was really a case of growing the market from scratch.”

After developing a customer base they moved to a new site at Leeds docks where they could run a café adjacent to the roastery. This exposure led to further growth and they moved to premises in Armley in 2019.

To support their growing business, they joined the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator in 2020 just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the UK. NatWest runs four Accelerator programmes aimed at High Growth, Fintech, Climate and Purpose-led businesses. North Star was part of the Purpose-led programme.

Holly said: “We closed the business for two weeks that spring. It was a really difficult time for our team. Online business was booming but we had to look at the wider picture. It was the worst time in a lot of ways. The business only needed operational people and I had a few months to think about the business and think about where we were going.

“We were at a point before the programme where we couldn’t see where we could turn the business into one with a decent work/life balance. It was completely full-on and all consuming. But the NatWest Accelerator programme has given us longevity to what we do. It has helped us be more proactive in what we are doing and what we want to and put some structure into place.”

She said: “Our time on the Accelerator has helped us get clearer as to who we want to be as a business. We are driven by building a coffee industry that works for everyone and are working to ensure this is part of everything we do.”

Libbie Mowbray, Scale Acceleration Manager at NatWest, said: “It has been incredible to work with Holly and the North Star team during this stage of their development. Being a Purpose-led business, putting people and the planet with profit is not always the easiest and there aren’t too many templates to follow. However, I am so proud of them for staying true to their values and doing what is right for them and the brand.”