Brain Wilford, 29, opened Forest Espresso in Helmsley during Christmas. Two months later, Brain said he was ready to “notify people” about his coffee roaster and cafe.
Born in Malton, Brain spent six years in Australia and learned about coffee. After returning to North Yorkshire, he said the opportunity to open the site in Helmsley was too good to hand over.
“As Malton's youth, Malton will always be number one. Then this property appeared and it was meant,” he told the press. “I've been busy so far. There were a lot of people coming, even if it was January and February.
“This is a tea and cake culture and I wanted to bring something completely different, I do coffee and pastries.
Along with the high street presence of Forest Espresso, Brain said roasting coffee is different from the competition.
He added: “There are a lot of places to roast and sell in cafes. We want to do a whole lot. There are currently around 10-15 cafes in our network across York, Malton and North Yorkshire.”
In the future, Brain is looking to grow forest espresso, so he is aiming to focus on some of the largest brands in the industry. He said: “It's a vision. I'm pretty determined and I know exactly where I'm looking at it. I'm really excited, I absolutely love it.
“In the long run, we want to be a common name. My vision for business is to cross the towns of Yorkshire, including York, Beverly, Harrogate and others, those landmarks.
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“If you're not in the area where the forest espresso shop is located, you can order it online and head home.”
In a highly satisfied industry, Brain spoke about how he finds forest espresso to stand out.
“It's the best coffee I've had since I returned to England. I'm going to say that,” he said.
“For me, it's about the whole experience when customers go through the door. Yes, it's about coffee, but it's a ride for people to come and chat.
“We're trying to build that experience and community, so we spend 15 minutes a day when people come in. That's to make us feel like we're the only person in the world in 15 minutes.”
