Coffee connoisseurs Grindsmith have just opened a new 'eco' coffee booth in Greengate Square. Not only does it sell regionally roasted coffee, but it was also fully funded by a Kickstarter campaign. The project was conceived by mobile coffee vendors Peter Gibson and Luke Tomlinson in 2012 and - after they passed their £10,000 funding target in December 2013 - the pre fab, environmentally-friendly coffee booth opened at the start of February.
Their USP is excellent coffee and a lovely environment to drink it in. Local roasters are used where possible, with no loyalty to a particular brand in order to keep flavours as interesting as possible. Coffees on sale include those supplied by Coffee Circle (which also supplies Gatley's Coffee Fix) as well as filter coffees from Lancaster's J Atkinson and Co who've been in the game for a number of years. Pete told us that the big idea was to "keep it as Northern as we can but we're not tied into any specific roaster as we want to be dynamic."
Relaxed
The aim was to create a space to relax, with the cafe taking the form of an eco-friendly pod, decked in wood and warm glazing against the elements. It was built by a company called Green Retreats who specialise in garden offices and studios and has seating for eight people. Pete told us: "We want to be the next step on from a pop up, and it's a first for Green Retreats too. They usually sell flatpacks but for this project they pre-fabbed it in their factory, and then we had it craned in, so it literally popped up overnight."
Cakes are gluten free and supplied by Time for Cake (which also supplies Coffee Fix in Gatley) and the Grindsmiths are "looking into sandwiches." Coffee fans should note that this is NOT the same Grindsmith that was formerly on Hilton Street.
Grindsmith, Greengate Square, M3 5AS. grindsmith.com Mon -Sat 7.30am -7pm, Sun 9am-5pm.