Scotland's specialty coffee shops join forces for Small Business Saturday

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of coffee offers

Scotland’s thriving independent coffee shops offer free coffees on 2 December 2017

Small Business Saturday (more here) takes place on 2 December and shines a light on small businesses across the UK, encouraging customers to shop local.

Scotland Coffee Lovers has coordinated with around 40 of Scotland’s leading specialty coffee shops (and one specialty tea shop :) to seize the day and offer free coffees (and tea) – inviting new and old customers alike to drop in for a chat and enjoy a brew.

As readers of this blog know, I’ve long been an active advocate of our small and perfectly formed independent specialty coffee shops that are unique and full of personality.

On Small Business Saturday I’m hoping coffee lovers will try somewhere new for coffee, shopping local instead of opting for one of the big coffee chains.

Participating shops will be giving away great coffee and cakes and there are some signature quirks such as matcha, beetroot and turmeric lattes in Edinburgh and Kinross, a film screening and marketplace in North Berwick, a chance to try an e-bike ride in Auchterarder, Police Box and Canal Boat coffee shops in Edinburgh, free batch brew all day in Aberdeen, and cupcake & coffee flavour matching in St Andrews – plus plenty more.

Coffee lovers are becoming more and more discerning about their coffee and increasingly choosing indy coffee shops over chain coffee shops. Leading research company Allegra has revealed that independent coffee shops achieve the highest total excellence scores from coffee shop visitors and deliver most on customer-centricity. (Allegra World Coffee Portal CoffeeTrack – March 2016)

Our specialty baristas are some of the best in the UK so you’re getting high quality, ethically sourced coffee. But they also add to the diversity of our community and are the first friendly face of the day for thousands of people all over Scotland as they grab their morning caffeine hit.

North Berwick's Steampunk Coffee crew
Cath Franks is second from the left

I caught up with Cath Franks owner of North Berwick’s Steampunk Coffee who is very passionate and explained her motivation “I’ve thought hard about what it means for me to be a small business and really what it boils down to is that we are part of the community. We work alongside people we know to offer something unique, something that cannot be found anywhere else...If someone wants to find integrity, care and passion for what is produced, they will find it in a small independent business, not in a multi-national corporation or chain store. We know the people who walk through our door every day and they know us. So on Small Business Saturday we want to highlight what’s special about us (apart from our coffee): it is relationships.”

Check out our timetable of specialty coffee freebies to celebrate Small Business Saturday on 2 December across Scotland, but I'd also encourage coffee lovers to support all the indy shops on this blog and our free app (and ones that aren't yet listed too!) to find plenty more great indy coffee and shop local!