2021 is drawing to a close and it’s that time again where we try to word just how grateful we are for you all.
Going back to January 2021, with most of our shops being closed and the country in a state of uncertainty - what we have achieved this year had never seemed so far away. However, the year still held plenty of exciting things for 92 Degrees.
New Stores Galore
2021 saw us open 4 new stores across Manchester and Leeds, which were two cities yet to witness the awesome coffees of 92 Degrees.
Starting in March, when hospitality was struck with the challenge of being ‘take-out only’, we decided to open for business in Manchester and Leeds. Our John Dalton Street shop opened in Manchester on March 26th with Claypit Lane in Leeds following just 3 days later on March 29th!
We were welcomed so warmly into Manchester and Leeds that we didn’t want to stop there! Towards the end of the year, after we had found the perfect sites, we opened our second stores in Manchester and Leeds which was a huge achievement.
Middlewood Locks in Manchester and Mustard Wharf in Leeds launched towards the end of the year and had a huge success, especially with the addition of Minor Figures Freedays where guests could have a free oat-milk based drink!
Behind the Scenes
The team at HQ have been busy this year, especially as we moved into our brand new space in July! This was executed as a complete surprise to our team, with only CEO Jack and Managing Director Gerard involved.
We moved from Hardman Street to Brunswick Business Park, as well as buying and installing a new roaster! Kudos to Jack and Gerard for pulling off such an epic surprise.
Alongside the move, there was a lot going on at 92 HQ. We won two awards this year - Best Speciality Coffee Roaster in the North and Best Speciality Coffee Company in the North West. Winning these awards was a standout moment for us, as it was great to have recognition for the hard work our Head of Coffee and Roastery team put in.
For our customers, we were also listening and reacting to what it is that you wanted. Our online side of the business grew as we continued to ship coffee across the world! As well as relaunching our 92 PODS on their 1 year anniversary, with new recycled packaging and 14 pods instead of 10.
Support all around
One of the greatest achievements of our year is how many people we have been able to support.
August saw us become a Living Wage Employer, meaning that no member of 92 Degrees will be paid less than the Living Wage. (as independently set by the living wage foundation)
In addition to looking after our local people, we also wanted to make sure the people across the world who help us by growing coffee were supported too.
We continued our partnership with Project Waterfall and donated 10% of revenue from each bagged coffee sale to support the charity. This in turn has helped 300+ people get access to clean water and sanitation for life - that was pretty awesome.
A huge thank you
Whilst we’re responsible for providing awesome coffee, it’s you who has shown us support throughout the year. From engaging with social media, popping into our shops, buying our coffee online - you have helped us to achieve all of these amazing things and we can’t thank you enough.
We said at the start that we would try and find the words to express how grateful we are for your support but in all honesty, words can’t sum it up. You are awesome and you help us to be awesome too.
Thank you for a great year and we look forward to what 2022 has to bring! We wish you all a wonderful and safe New Year.