You may have noticed that we talk about the "Specialty Coffee Association" in all our descriptions for our Beans & Ground range.  But what is specialty grade coffee and why do you want to drink it? What is specialty grade coffee? Specialty-grade coffee is the highest quality coffee available and can only exist if everyone in the coffee supply chain from farmer down to the roaster is focused on quality. Specialty grade coffee can technically only be "whole bean" coffee however regardless of what TrueStart product you buy, you can be sure it is made with specialty grade beans. The coffee is grown in ideal conditions, ours in Huila in Colombia, with perfect weather and rich soil. Then it is carefully processed and sent to our roastery where the coffee is air-roasted to perfection. The result? Your delicious cup of TrueStart Coffee.  Why should I drink it? 1. Taste This is maybe the most obvious one, coffee that is of higher quality from bean to cup is naturally going to taste better. Think of it like your strawberries from your local farm shop versus supermarket bought ones. 2. Caffeine The quality of the bean itself is better than other grades of coffee - meaning that it produces a more stable caffeine content, something we test for independently too! 3. Health Coffee is naturally super rich in antioxidants - see Helena's blog on that here! Although it's not something that the SCA grades you on, there have been studies to show that the antioxidant content in specialty grade coffee is far superior to non-specialty coffee. 4. Ethics Specialty coffee itself is harvested only when it's perfect, not just when it "has to be" to fill demand for mass consumption and it is traceable whereas commodity grade coffee is not. Furthermore, it gives the farmers better options for their profit as they are connecting with like-minded coffee buyers / brands who are willing to pay more for a better product. 5. Variety The best part? Every coffee growing country produces it's own signature flavour and we offer varieties of specialty grade coffee from the three of top five producing countries; Brazil, Colombia and Vietnam. There's more.. On top of that, we independently lab test all of our coffee to check it's free from mould (mycotoxins) and other nasties and rich in coffee's natural antioxidants. TrueStart has more antioxidants in a cup than in a cup of green tea - mindblown.   SHOP SPECIALTY GRADE COFFEE NOW

  This January we are going back to our roots and celebrating TrueStart's unrivalled health benefits. Since 2015 we've been crafting delicious healthy coffee and last year we launched the first of it's kind.. a Lightly Caffeinated Instant Coffee! What is Lightly Caffeinated? As with all of our range, it's a super clean coffee made with specialty grade beans, a delicious blend of Colombian & Brazilian coffee that has been independently lab tested to ensure it is packed with antioxidants and minerals. It has more antioxidants than a cup of green tea and is monitored to have a light caffeine content, only 35mg which is enough to gently elevate you whilst still being a full-flavoured coffee. People have been calling it their "afternoon coffee" or their "last task of the day coffee" but it's also for anyone who is trying to moderate their caffeine intake whether that be for health or personal reasons. So go for it, dive in to healthier coffee! 💦

Simon, our co-founder, wrote a brilliant summary of 2023 on LinkedIn but we thought it was so good that it should be plastered here, so you can all see the impact you're making! So dive in to Simon's 2023 Wrap Up.. 2023 has been one to remember..   Community 🌈 Donated coffee to Fareshare South West & donated 367 breakfasts to school children across the UK through the Magic Breakfast Charity. Re certified as Carbon Negative coffee Did the South West locals proud as the official coffee of the Bristol Balloon Fiesta. Promoted fellow local B Corps during B Corp Month by shining a light on their offices with Sunny the Truck. Continued to make parkrunners up and down the South West feel amazing with our free De'Longhi hot coffees after their run. 🫶 Customers 🫶  We have big news with Co-op to come in the New Year.. after a year of outperforming many of the established brands and driving massive category value. Launched into Morrisons in the South West with our Instant, Ground & Coffee Bags! Tripled our range in Booths Supermarket & tripled our rate of sale there. Launched the brand internationally with Spinneys in the UAE. Started supplying some very prestigious banks & offices across the UK. 🚀 Products 🚀  Launched category-first innovation with our Lightly Caffeinated & Super Blend Instant Coffees because of customer feedback. Launched Loose Coffee Bags, with More Taste & Less Waste! Launched The World's Smallest Coffee Machine (your favourite teaspoon!) 🥄 Switched to fully recyclable packaging for our Beans & Ground Coffee ♻️ We've got an exciting pipeline of new products & packaging refreshes in the New Year. We launched True Coffee ice cream with local B Corp, Marshfield Farm! TrueStart is now used as an ingredient in 4 awesome products ranging from mushroom coffees to RTD Cocktails.. with more to come in 2024! 😃 Team 😃  We grew the team from 3 to 5 & had some fantastic social events together. Welcome to the team Rachel & Jess! Thank you all for being a big part of this journey! India was promoted to Brand Manager after really putting TrueStart on the map this year! Huge congratulations 💥 And Helena, my co-founder and wife, inspires me every day! 📈 Business 📈  We've built this business by doing the right things (even when nobody is watching) and good things have happened. It's not been easy but we've doubled the size of the business and that's down to you, our customers! It's incredibly difficult to wake up every day as a massive underdog in all aspects of business, but we are passionate fighters, on a mission to make people feel happier and healthier with TrueStart Coffee and show that there is a better way. Every cup switched to TrueStart by you is another small step forward. It's our ingrained core values, beliefs & relentless positive energy that drive us all forward. Together we are Team TrueStart and we aren't going anywhere! 💥 See you all in 2024 for another chapter of this wild rollercoaster,Simon 😊 For more crazy 2023 stats check out TrueStart Wrapped..  

We've teamed up with SuperCamps, a leading kids camp provider in the UK, to bring you the ULTIMATE Holiday Guide to energise busy parents!  We both understand that family life can be a bit overwhelming at times and we want to help – whether that’s through providing superb childcare or delicious energising coffee. So this guide is packed full of ways to make the holidays that bit easier and more fun for everyone. Whether it's ways to keep the kids entertained to delicious show-stopping dessert and present ideas for coffee lovers. Let's sweeten the deal.. To make it even easier to create the Hazelnut Christmas Latte, for the whole of December we're gifting one free syrup with every order. Simply add the 250ml Sugar Free syrup of your choice to cart with the rest of your coffee order and it will show up as free! Or simply type FREESYRUP into the code section. Give us a shout if you have any issues but in the meantime.. DIVE IN!

We're turning "Black Friday" yellow! Every year your inbox fills up with "99% OFF" deals and this year will be no different. But, as always, we won't be one of those companies and instead we want to use this week to do something that can make a real change in our communities that need it most. Last year we teamed up with Fareshare and raised money to feed people around the UK. This year? We've teamed up with Magic Breakfast. A charity that offers breakfast and wrap around support for children across the UK at risk of hunger in disadvantaged areas. How? For every order placed between the 20th - 30th November we'll donate a Magic Breakfast. Simple. Want to learn more about the partnership? Click on the video below to see why we chose to work with Magic Breakfast and what your support means.. WATCH NOW THE RESULTS? We were able to donate 357 Breakfasts to children around the UK!

Welcome to TrueStart's Dive In Series! Our third guest is long time friend of TrueStart, Ben Pritchard. Ben is a Paralympian, multi-time World Record holder & all round awe inspiring being. We talk about his journey from being a triathlete & top cyclist to a Paralympic Rower where he has won a Bronze Medal and nabbed a World Record. Moreover, we chat about how he is weaving fatherhood into his sports life and the mental pressures & joys of being at the pinnacle of high performance sport. Let's Dive In.. Or click here to listen 🎧 Ben's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benjaminpritch1/?hl=en Ben's Website: https://www.iambenpritchard.com/ Subtitle Version on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtzI1We9xic

Helena recently was a guest on the Good Journeys Podcast with Second Mountain Communications.  Ben, a TrueStart customer & founder of Second Mountain Comms, and Helena had a big chat about all elements of TrueStart's journey but a key part of it was Helena's relationship with her ADHD. Check out this little clip where Helena talks about how she lives with ADHD and if you like it then go and check out the whole podcast here.

Welcome to the second episode of our Dive In Series! This series is all about our community and the voices & stories they bring to the world. We want to use our platform to give members of the TrueStart community a place to have their stories heard. This series aims to inspire, educate & break everyday inertia by listening to all sorts of lived experiences. Our second guest is Maria Wood, a climate activist and energy analyst who we first met after a talk on corporate activism at Purposefest in Bristol. Maria is an inspirational speaker and has campaigned for lots of different organisations to push for change. We talk about her journey into climate activism, what needs to change and how, protest methods, how to deal with climate anxiety and how to continue to have hope. Let's Dive Into Maria's story...

Grab your passports, coffee lovers! We're going on a whirlwind, tongue-tingling adventure to explore the quirkiest coffee cultures across the world – all from the comfort of your kitchen with a TrueStart brew in hand! 1. Colombia: The Smooooth Operator How could we start anywhere else? Let's groove over to Colombia, a country known for producing some of the smoothest coffee in the world. Coffee here is typically enjoyed as 'tinto' – a small, black coffee served throughout the day. This no-frills approach allows the quality of the beans to shine through. We're always banging on about how incredible TrueStart tastes black, so if you usually add milk or sugar, try serving TrueStart black and take a moment to appreciate the stunningly smooth, energising taste - whether it's fresh or made in an instant! 2. Italy: Love at First Sip Blink and you'll miss it! Italians shoot back their espresso like they're late for a Vespa ride across Rome. Served up in a teeny-tiny cup, this concentrated delight packs a punch. Who needs sleep anyway, right? Try this at home with TrueStart coffee - just remember to savour the flavour, even if you gulp it down! 3. Sweden: Coffee, Cake and Chit-Chat Swedes take their coffee breaks so seriously; they even have a special word for it - "fika". It's all about hanging out with friends, munching on scrumptious pastries, and gulping down gallons of coffee. So, brew a pot of TrueStart, text your pals, and embrace the cosy comfort of a Swedish coffee break. 4. Ethiopia: Where Coffee is a Social Event Buckle up for a trip to Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. Here, coffee making is a ceremonial event and a chance to bond with the community. Try and replicate this at home by inviting friends over for a coffee date with TrueStart's Lively Ethiopian, and appreciate the shared joy of a good brew. 5. Vietnam: Like Dessert in a Cup Say "Xin Chào" to Vietnam, where coffee often gets confused with dessert. Here, a generous dollop of sweetened condensed milk is added to strong coffee, creating a divine combo that'll make your taste buds dance. Add a little condensed milk to your TrueStart and enjoy this sweet treat. 6. Turkey: The Mystic's Brew In Turkey, coffee isn't just a beverage; it's a fortune teller. After downing a cup of thick, strong coffee, the grounds left behind are used to predict the future. Not sure about future-telling, but your future certainly holds a robust cup of TrueStart. 7. Brazil: The Coffee-Champion's Classic Did someone say, "samba and coffee?" Welcome to Brazil, the world's largest coffee producer! Here, coffee is often enjoyed simply, as a strong brew paired with a slice of cake or a piece of bread for an afternoon snack, known as "cafezinho". This small, potent cup of coffee is served throughout the day, an indispensable part of Brazilian hospitality. So, pull out your brightest outfit, put on some samba beats, and brew a cup of TrueStart's Bright-Eyed Brazilian. It's time to party, Brazilian style! Whether you're shaking to the samba or quietly contemplating over a Swedish fika, the world of coffee is delightfully diverse. So, as you relish your TrueStart, take a moment to appreciate the global tapestry of coffee lovers, each adding their splash of uniqueness to this loved beverage. Bon voyage on your coffee-fuelled adventure!

We have kick started our Dive In Series! This series is all about our community and the voices & stories they bring to the world. We want to use our platform to give members of the TrueStart community a place to have their stories heard. This series aims to inspire, educate & break everyday inertia by listening to all sorts of lived experiences. So, our first guest having their "TrueStart Moment" is founder, adventurer & world record breaker Ben Smith. Ben came on the podcast to talk all things mental health, pride & love. We talk about his journey from childhood to the dark days in his twenties to becoming a proud member of the LGBTQ community & founder of mental health charity - the 401 Foundation. TW: This episode talks about suicide & bullying. Let's Dive Into Ben's story... Or listen to it on Spotify below:  https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/truestart-coffee/episodes/Dive-In-Series-Ben-Smith-on-mental-health--pride--love-e268c0k

Is Coffee Really At Risk of Going Extinct? The term "extinction" might sound dramatic, but it does help to underscore the scale of the challenges facing the global coffee supply in the decades that lie ahead. There are significant changes underway in our world, and if we don't address these proactively, our favourite brew might become a luxury that we can't afford or even access in just a few decades. There are several reasons behind this potential threat. First, coffee plants are rather picky; they need specific conditions to thrive, including stable temperatures, certain altitude ranges, and a precise amount of rainfall. Climate change is altering these conditions in many ways. Rising global temperatures, unpredictable weather patterns, and more frequent droughts and floods are all affecting the areas where coffee can be grown. A study last year from researchers in Switzerland predicts that, if climate change continues at its current rate, we could lose over half of the most suitable existing coffee lands by 2050. Second, coffee plants are vulnerable to a variety of diseases and pests, like coffee leaf rust, a fungus that has been damaging coffee plantations around the world, especially in Central and South America. Warmer temperatures have allowed these pests and diseases to thrive and move into new regions, where they weren't able to survive before, causing more damage and reducing supply. Another major factor is deforestation. Many coffee-growing regions, such as parts of South America and Africa, are losing forests due to agriculture expansion, logging, and urbanisation. This not only destroys vital habitats for coffee plants, but it also disrupts local ecosystems, affecting the sustainability and long-term viability of coffee cultivation.  Socio-economic issues also pose challenges for coffee growers. Smallholder farmers, who make up a significant part of the global coffee industry, often face low incomes, lack of resources and education, and limited market opportunities. These difficulties can discourage young farmers from entering the industry, leading to a decrease in overall coffee production. In order to adapt to these changing conditions, farmers need fair and sufficient pay. This includes adopting sustainable farming practices, agroforestry (where coffee is grown with other trees), and soil conservation methods to maintain healthy ecosystems. However, if farmers are struggling to even meet the daily needs of their families, they are unlikely be able to invest in these necessary adaptations, to ensure the long-term viabilitiy of their business. Let's talk about wild coffee The bulk of the coffee we drink comes from just two farmed species, Arabica and Robusta. Because of this narrow genetic pool, these species are more susceptible to diseases and pests, like coffee leaf rust. Preserving and exploring the diversity of other coffee species, currently wild and not farmed for consumption, is crucial for the future of the coffee industry. However, there are over 120 wild species of coffee plants that aren't being farmed yet. They might be able to produce coffee that we'd enjoy, but research by scientists at Kew Royal Botanical Gardens shows that 60% of these wild species are threatened by extinction due to deforestation, climate change, and the spread of fungal pathogens and pests. This highlights the importance of increasing biodiversity and protecting these species. So, what can coffee lovers do to protect their favourite brew? As consumers, we play a crucial role. We can choose to buy from brands that prioritise sustainability, support work to reduce carbon emissions, support fair pay, and invest in initiatives that benefit coffee farmers and their communities. For example, at TrueStart, we support various social and environmental projects. One such initiative is a carbon removal forestry project in Colombia, our primary coffee source. This project provides financial and technical support to local farmers, allowing them to adopt new, sustainable farming practices that can boost their resilience to climate change. The project also focuses on reforestation and agroforestry, enhancing biodiversity and contributing to carbon removal. We also need to push supermarkets to give more shelf space to independent brands that value ethical sourcing, quality, and the impact on people and the planet. What you buy truly matters. For instance, just two large corporations dominate 85% of the instant coffee market in UK supermarkets, often prioritising profit over long-term sustainability and the health of consumers. Supporting certified B Corps like TrueStart, which are verified to have met high standards of social and environmental performance, is a good alternative to buying from the many brands that are owned by the world's largest food and drink mega-corporations. It's not all doom and gloom! It's important that we don't take our daily brew for granted. But work is being done! In 2018, after years of searching, scientists rediscovered a rare species of coffee plant - Coffea stenophylla - that has the potential to ensure the future of great-tasting coffee under climate change. The plant has the unique combination of tolerance to high temperatures and a superior flavour. Dr Aaron Davis, head of coffee research at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew said: “This is a once in a lifetime scientific discovery – stenophylla could ensure the future of high-quality coffee.” The more we know about the challenges we face as our climate changes, the better we can adapt and protect the drink we all love.

Use fresh, high-quality coffee beans: The quality of the beans is critical in making a great espresso. Look for beans that have been recently roasted and have a rich, full flavor. Grind the beans just before brewing: Espresso requires a very fine grind, and the longer the coffee grounds sit, the more the flavor and aroma diminish. Invest in a high-quality burr grinder and grind the beans just before brewing. Use the right amount of coffee: Using too little coffee will result in a weak, watery espresso, while using too much will make it bitter and over-extracted. A standard double shot of espresso requires about 14 grams of coffee. Brew at the right temperature and pressure: Espresso is brewed using hot water under high pressure. The ideal temperature for brewing espresso is around 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and the pressure should be between 9 and 10 bars. Pay attention to the timing: A perfect shot of espresso should be pulled in about 25-30 seconds. If it takes longer, the coffee will be over-extracted and bitter. If it takes less time, it will be under-extracted and weak. Pay attention to the timing and adjust the grind, amount of coffee, or tamping pressure as needed to get the perfect shot.