Aylesbury based Hill & Valley Coffee has walked off with the gold medal at the Great Taste Awards 2000 sponsored by the Guild of Fine Food Retailers. Hill & Valley Coffee’s Celebes Toraja Single Origin Dark Roast beat off competition from major national brands such as Taylors of Harrogate, Nairobi Tea & Coffee and The Coffeehouse to take the coveted gold award at the week-end. This award  comes exactly six months to the day after Hill & Valley Coffee launched their business on Dec 23^rd 1999.

Basing their business on many small speciality coffee roasters in the USA, Hill & Valley Coffee is a locally focused business owned and managed by Charlie and Debbie Massey who live in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire. Charlie brings over 20 years experience to the business as an international coffee trader and green coffee buyer. Hill & Valley Coffee has been conceived and created to fill a gap in the market that Charlie identified during his time in the coffee trade.

Charlie says – “I began to realise that even premium shop bought coffees did not compare in flavour to the samples we had roasted each day for the cupping room. Most people do not realise that coffee has to be regarded as a fresh food even in roasted bean form. That is why when we created Hill & Valley Coffee we decided to only roast to order and not to hold any stocks of finished product. In that way buyers can get the full range of subtle flavours from our personal selection of the world finest coffees. Micro-roasting in small batches and serving a very local market is the key to us achieving the shortest possible time from roasting oven to cup thus preserving flavour.  I am convinced that this method was the key factor that set us ahead of the field in The Great Taste 2000 competition. We also print the roasting date on every packet, which, I believe, makes us unique.”

Believing in a direct relationship with its customers Hill & Valley Coffee retail operations are conducted through the Internet via the website (www.hillandvalleycoffee.co.uk).  The site features an online store but also much information about the company as well as an opportunity to subscribe to the bi-weekly gourmet coffee newsletter. Local customers are encouraged to phone the roastery with orders to be collected or they can buy a selection of the full range from Jordans of Thame, Oxfordshire or visit the ‘Factory Outlet’ stall on Wednesdays at Oxford Gloucester Green market.  The gourmet food section of Waddesdon Manor Gift Shop will be offering four coffees from the Hill & Valley range from next month.

Debbie says:-  “The internet allows small speciality food businesses such as ourselves to contact customers directly at a manageable cost, We have also approached a selective group of local independent Fine Food retailers who treat our product sympathetically and benefit from our low minimum orders and regular deliveries.

The restaurant side is something we now want to move ahead with. We are interested to talk to any coffee conscious restaurant owners in our region. We offer an extremely personal service to independent restaurants including guidance through the minefield of coffee machine selection.  We can give restaurants the means to send customers away delighted with the last thing they tasted from the menu. So often the coffee is a disappointing anti-climax to a good meal. Hill & Valley Coffee provides a great taste and a good story to end the meal with.”

For further information call Charlie or Debbie at Hill & Valley Coffee Ltd, 7 Bessemer Crescent, Rabans Lane Industrial Area, Aylesbury, Bucks HP19 8TF.

Telephone 01296 482708 or email: beans@hillandvalleycoffee.co.uk

Visit the Guild of Fine Food Retailers web site here.

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