Anyone who know's Goupie, or has read any of our previous blog posts, will know that we love a fellow family business! So, it should come as no surprise that our coffee supplier is yet another Kent-based family business. Let us introduce you to: Cafe Hormozi.
We first came across Cafe Hormozi in a personal capacity. The Simpson family, is very much a coffee-loving family. Joe has a love for caffeine which would impress Lorelei Gilmore (if you know, you know!) whilst Janet has a love for making all things herself. This culminated in a purchase of green beans one year, so that the two could roast their own blend at home.
A few years later, and the Goupie Chocolate House was starting its journey. We knew it was going to be a fully vegan cafe, and we wanted to make sure we had the best coffee to go with plant-based milks. This took us on a journey of discovery, trying as many local roasters as possible and learning about all things coffee. This included learning the necessity for a lower acidity in our blend as there is less fat in the plant-based milks to cut through the acidic flavour.
We're extremely lucky in Kent that we have so many amazing local roasters, and we would have been honoured to have worked with any of them. This meant that it really came down to flavour, and what worked best with our milks and our chocolate. Cafe Hormozi's House Blend came out on top easily, and made it a clear choice. The blend is a medium roast containing a mix of Arabica and Robusta beans from Africa, Asia and South America. Understandably, Cafe Hormozi don't want to give away their specific coffee secrets, and so that's all the info we can give you. What we can tell you is they've been crafting this blend for over 15 years and it is delicious. We can relate to the secrecy, we guard our Goupie recipe vigilantly!
It just so happens, that Cafe Hormozi is a family business, just like ours. With father, mother and offspring all being involved in the business, again, very much like us! Rubin is currently at the helm of the business, as an expert in roasting. They now operate a completely solar-powered roastery in Sittingbourne, stocking over 30 different origins of coffee of which they have direct relationships with small suppliers. Every batch of coffee we receive from them has been roasted within a few days of delivery, meaning it's as fresh as can be! It also suggest they employ a very similar 'just-in-time' approach to production as we do...
After using their coffee in our Chocolate House for just a few months, it occurred to us to try it in our Espresso Goupie (why we didn't think of it before we couldn't tell you!). We were not disappointed! It drastically enhanced the flavour, and we've not looked back since. We now use their House Blend in our Espresso and Mochaccino Goupie, and even sell their beans on our website. That's how converted we are to the flavour! They really do work especially well with our favourite plant-based milks, not leaving behind any lingering acidity or sourness. If you don't believe us, believe our Chocolate House customers!
"Definitely one of the best coffees in TW." - John Lines
"I'm so happy Goupie have opened a coffee shop! The Coffee tastes perfect and I've really been enjoying the huge variety of dairy-free hot chocolates (the coconut milk with 55% really appeased my sweet tooth!) I've been there a few times now and the extended opening hours in comparison to some of the other coffee shops have been great for getting some late night work done and staying social during dry January! Definitely recommend!" - Tony Cunningham
"Love this place! Coffee is excellent, great alternative options without being too pricey or pretentious and the staff are always welcoming and friendly.' - Aimee Bird
"Such a lovely homey rustic quirky place great coffees all natural tasty homemade! Great little gem! Will certainly be comming back" - Neil Vidamo
"Welcoming atmosphere, great coffee and plenty of choc snacks to keep you going! Will be sure to come back again" - William Starks
Sadly, our Chocolate House is now closed, but you can still try our coffee, Goupie and hot chocolates at home by shopping on the website! We've also shared a number of our signature bakes in our recipes section.
If you'd like to find out more about Cafe Hormozi, please feel free to visit their website here!
