East of England Co-operative stores in Suffolk are now selling a range of Fairtrade Coffee which is roasted locally in Ipswich.

Coffeelink was launched in August 2005 by Azzouz El-Mahraoui, and he takes great care in sourcing only the best coffee beans, as well as roasting them himself to get the best flavour. 

In fact all of the coffee is roasted by Azzouz to order, making it as fresh as possible when it is delivered to 11 East of England Co-operative stores in Suffolk as well as Coffeelink’s two Ipswich cafes, on the Waterfront and at the Rail Station.

The coffee is stocked in selected Co-op stores as part of the Society’s Local Sourcing Initiative.  Local Sourcing Manager Kevin Warden works with local producers to micro-source great local products to be sold in Co-op stores and the range and demand from customers is growing all the time. 

Coffeelink source all their coffee through a specialist coffee merchants in London, who guarantee its traceability as well as Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance Certified status. 

All of the coffee they sell carries the Fairtrade Mark.  Azzouz said: “It makes me feel better about the way I do business, the fact that the producers are getting a fair price.” He added that he was delighted to be linking up with his local Co-op – which also has a long history of supporting Fairtrade.

The coffee beans are imported from South America, Africa, Indonesia and Asia, before being roasted at Coffeelink’s roastery in Dales Road, Ipswich – the only one in the town.  This reduces food miles, as well as giving Azzouz more control over the flavour of the coffees he sells.

The Coffeelink range of Breakfast Blend, All Day Long Blend, After Dinner Blend, and Decaffeinated Blend, is available in the following East of England Co-operative food stores: Thoroughfare and Hasketon Road in Woodbridge, Debenham, Elmswell, Woolpit, Saxmundham Road in Aldeburgh, Holbrook, and the Co-op Supermarkets in Felixstowe, Leiston, Framlingham and Hadleigh. 

The range is in store in time for Fairtrade Fortnight, which runs from February 22nd to March 7th.

PHOTO CAPTIONS: Local Sourcing Manager Kevin Warden (right) with Azzouz
El-Mahraoui (centre) and his wife Rebecca (left) from Coffeelink at the Co-op Supermarket in Felixstowe.

Azzouz roasting coffee beans at the Coffeelink Roastery in Ipswich.

Note to Editors:

The East of England Co-operative Society is the largest independent retailer in East Anglia and has over 200 trading outlets which are located in 74 towns and villages, including the three regional centres of Norwich, Ipswich and Colchester.

The Society’s diverse business activities include: supermarkets and food stores, travel, pharmacy, optical and funeral branches, petrol forecourts, motor dealership, training academy and events and conference centre. 

For further information:
Laura Bennett, Public Relations Officer, East of England Co-operative Society,
Wherstead Park, The Street, Wherstead, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP9 2BJ    
E-mail: l.bennett@eastofengland.coop