The best coffee shops bring together people, capital, and ideas. Since the opening of London’s first coffee house in 1652, coffee has facilitated serendipitous encounters, sparked new opportunities and driven social and commercial innovation.
Late in September 2025 we collected the keys to a coffee shop on Granary Square, London. Our plan is to transform it into a vibrant cafe for the King’s Cross community – and to use it as a testbed for United Baristas projects.
The shop had recently become increasingly unviable for its previous owner following a series of changes in the local neighbourhood. We’re implementing a range of measures to improve financial performance, including updating the proposition, renovating the site and introducing new business and performance-management systems.
Ensemble is a unique opportunity for us to deploy existing United Baristas services, insights and programmes while beginning work on our next chapter. For example, we’ve already implemented our Smart Water Filter service, hosted events using the Coffee Tasting Framework and taken steps to cut the carbon footprint of a flat white by ~25, all while boosting sales to secure the shop’s long-term viability.
Having a coffee shop within our network also creates opportunities to advance our existing work and explore new projects. With the space requiring a complete renovation, we can embed deeper carbon reductions into the design and configure the space to test the energy efficiency of coffee-making equipment.
Ensemble also furthers two other objectives related to coffee shop management. With London’s coffee market more competitive than ever, businesses need accurate data to inform their decisions. We are assembling an operational tech stack that enables us to better serve customers, manage stock, schedule staff and minimise administrative overhead. For example, in partnership with our accountants, we have near real-time, daily-updated management accounts.
And running a coffee business requires a broad and varied skill set – from commercial decision-making and strong people management to robust organisational and planning capabilities – all underpinned by a genuine sense of hospitality. Ensemble allows us to offer the next generation of coffee managers hands-on training to help them build viable and vibrant coffee businesses.
Ensemble remains a work in progress. There is much to do, but we’re excited to take the shop, the team, and our customers on this journey. As a member of the United Baristas community you’re invited to join us. Key updates will be made available through our newsletter for coffee business managers and opportunities to attend tastings and training will be added to Events Calendar.
And, of course, you’re welcome to monitor our progress in person. Just pop in for a coffee at Ensemble next time you’re in King’s Cross. We look forward to meeting you.
