Arguably the biggest name in Cambridgeshire coffee, Hot Numbers has taken the area by storm since it was first established in 2011. We caught up with founder, Simon Fraser to learn about the origins of Hot Numbers and how it has grown into the bold brand we know and love today.
Simon shared that the Hot Numbers seed was planted in his brain some years back, when he was studying the saxophone in Melbourne, Australia. Alongside his studies, he was indulging in his other passion; coffee, by working as a barista. When he arrived in Australia, Simon already had a well established interest and talent for engineering so was unsure of what his future may hold at this point. One day a conversation between Simon and his boss at the coffee shop, resulted in some wise words that stayed truly lodged in his mind; “I don’t know what you will become in the future, but you have a clear passion for three things; music, coffee and engineering. Whatever you end up doing, you should really try to combine them in some way”.
With this in mind, Simon headed back to the UK with an idea… He discussed the idea with a friend, Max Rees, who owned a record shop on Kingston Street, Cambridge, who was so supportive of the idea that he agreed Simon could use the name of his shop for it – Hot Numbers. With jazz music always playing, the coffee always exceptional and the complexities of in-house coffee bean roasting, Simon had managed to combine his three passions to create something truly special.
The original idea was never to expand further than one venue but they had to seek larger premises not just once, but twice, to accommodate the unprecedented success of the business and to make space for the impressive roastery.
As well as providing coffee for their own venues, the roastery also provides a wide range of beans for other businesses, on a wholesale basis. With Simon’s passion for bringing great coffee to consumers far and wide, he had identified an area that was just crying out for help. Office workers have always been the notorious sufferers of terrible coffee, often tied into long contracts with poor provisions, and Simon wanted to find a way to resolve the situation. After tirelessly researching different ‘bean to cup’ machines on the market, he finally came across a system worthy of the Hot Numbers beans, and is busy supplying it out to workplaces in the area. True heroes amongst coffee-loving office workers, Simon and his team supply the machines, the masterfully roasted coffee beans and maintenance too.
“Not only do these bean to cup machines make a great coffee but they even tell the origin story of that particular variety of bean, on the digital display screen!”
At the Roastery in Shepreth, there is a dedicated space just for these machines to be demonstrated, tried and tested as well as full barista training and coffee workshops for businesses and interested groups. The workshop room really is a sight to behold with counters full of every type of grinder, frother and compressor you could imagine and passionate professionals ready to walk you through each step of creating the perfect cup. You can even reserve the space upstairs and enjoy some sourdough pizzas together, from the in-house bakery, after skilfully mastering your new craft!
Hot Numbers; the ever-popular and trendy coffee shop, has been on our radar for some time and it was so exciting to learn more about what else goes on behind the scenes. We can safely say that this is a business clearly led from a place of passion and care – it shines through absolutely everything they do.
Find out how you can bring Hot Numbers coffee to your workplace by contacting: roastery@hotnumberscoffee.co.uk
