Cumbrian tea and coffee merchant, John Farrer & Co of Kendal, marked the second anniversary of the unveiling of the Lake District UNESCO World Heritage site branding by creating a limited-edition single origin coffee at this year’s Westmorland County Show.
The limited-edition batch is simply called COFFEE…
COFFEE has been created using Castillo and Caturra beans grown in Armenia, Quindio, part of the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, which have then been roasted In The English Lake District, to create a unique product.
This is the embodiment of collaborative opportunity… businesses from two World Heritage sites on opposite sides of the globe interacting to craft something unique and distinctive, each using facets of their individual cultural heritage to their advantage.
Both locations, whilst sharing World Heritage status, also share a similar geography. Both are largely rural mountain farming communities, they are both places where nature and man in equal measure have come to shape those landscapes and create the unique cultural heritage we see today.
COFFEE is produced from single origin beans grown in Finca El Eden, Colombia. An exceptional example of a sustainable and unique productive cultural landscape, that celebrates a 100-year-old tradition of coffee growing in small plots in the high Andean forest, in difficult conditions.
Whilst the 200-year-old coffee roastery, one of the UK’s oldest, located in the English Lake District, England, sits in similarly mountainous area, whose valleys have been modelled in turn by nature and by man. Creating a uniquely harmonious landscape, the inspiration for the Picturesque and the Romantic movements and latterly triggering early efforts to preserve beautiful landscapes.
Alex McCoskrie, Engagement Officer, English Lake District World Heritage Site said: “We’re delighted that Farrer’s have chosen the Westmorland County Show to unveil this exciting coffee. ‘’
He added: “We launched the free English Lake District World Heritage brand last year and we’ve been delighted with the uptake so far. But this coffee is an excellent example of a local business going that one step further and fully embracing the wealth of opportunities that World Heritage status can bring to local manufacturers and service providers to really stand out from the competition.’’
Dave Walsh, Farrer’s General Manager commented: ‘’ John Farrer & Co, Kendal, created this coffee to further demonstrate the benefits to local businesses in maximising the opportunities that the Lake District’s World Heritage status presents. We saw the value in the brand, and this inspired us to embrace this opportunity to craft a product utilising the unique characteristics of two World Heritage sites from opposite side of the World to produce COFFEE. As a business you have to ask yourself what could I do with that branding? What can I create that will help me stand out from the crowd and at the same time shout about where we are based and what we do? After all the branding is distinctive, eye catching, and presents countless collaborative opportunities for local businesses… why would you not make use of what is available to you?’’
