THE CRAFT APRON : RICHARD BLAKE

Coffee Roaster and Surfer

Photo courtesy of Lulu Ash 

The seeds of Yallah coffee were sewn in the mind of surfer Rich Blake while exploring the coastlines of Morocco, chasing waves and drinking coffee in small local cafes. Enamoured by the sea and entertained by the buzz of local life, he discovered a lifestyle ideal. 

Back in the UK, he came across a 1950s coffee roaster in his old uni town of Falmouth and saw an opportunity. Using his experience and knowledge from working with speciality coffee roasters, Extract Coffee, he renovated the discarded roaster and made the big decision to move back to Cornwall to build the lifestyle ideal he had always wanted - living and working in an exciting, friendly community whilst surfing as much as possible.

Nearly 2 years on, Rich has achieved his dream. Roasting speciality, single origin coffee for accounts across the UK from a barn studio just outside Falmouth, surfing and sailing at every opportunity. 

Yallah roughly translates to ‘lets go’ in Arabic, which perfectly sums up Rich’s attitude to life! We love his entrepreneurial spontaneity, pure working grit and thirst for outdoor fun. These lifestyle values with his creative experience and skill makes him our ideal brand ambassador.

" I use the apron for the production and selling of my coffee; Production-wise, it's manual labour so i need it to protect my clothes. At the markets, i feel it adds to the customer experience. It's almost like a uniform (although i don't like to call it that) It tells the customer that they are talking to an expert in their field and meeting the roaster."

The sturdy fabric, ergonomic panels and weight distributing X-back harness allows Rich protection, movement and comfort for the many different activities his job requires. Loading and unloading sacks of green beans, roasting coffee, cupping, brewing and even running a stand at various farmers and craft markets. The Craft Apron doubles up as an effective tool and a smart uniform.


Read more on Yallah Coffee Roasters here : http://yallahcoffee.co.uk/