Our story

Have you ever been to Rhode Island? If not, you’re missing a treat. Think of the famous Newport Folk Festival, a coastline dotted with lighthouses and fisherman’s piers, endless forests and beautiful wild scenery. It’s the antithesis of the big city. Friendly, welcoming people, hearty natural food, a place of enjoyment and relaxation – just what Rhode Island Coffee is all about. When you visit one of our stores, however long or short your visit, we want you to feel welcome, to relax, and enjoy yourself.

Order a cup of our unique blend, lovingly crafted coffee, team it with a good helping of our savoury and sweet treats, find a seat, kick off your shoes and make yourself at home. You can bring a good book (or find one on our bookshelf), read a newspaper, or just sit back and relax – think of the early morning mists swirling around the sands of Narragansett Bay, at the heart of Rhode Island.

Our coffee

We are all easy going, fun loving people … But we do take our coffee seriously! Our Baristas spend hours, days and weeks training to serve you the perfect cup. We base our methods on the World Barista Championship standards, and there is no set time that barista is given to learn their art. It takes as long as it takes. When people are allowed to go solo on the coffee machine, they can perfectly sweet-spot the espresso and created luxuriously textured milk. They’ll also be well on their way to creating latte art. Ask your Barista to demonstrate! The espresso machines we use have been used at the world barista championships, and are probably the best in the world today.

The espresso machines that we use in our stores are considered the best in the world today. We don’t compromise!

Awards

Look at what we’ve gone and won! We do what we do because we love to do it, but it is nice to be recognised when you do something well isn’t it? It seems that lots of people and organisations are doing just that with Rhode Island. Here’s some of the things we’ve won recently:

2023 - Blackburn - Best Food & Beverage Winner - The Mall Retailer Awards

2021 - Best Hot Drink & Drinks Preparation Award - British Sandwich Assiciation

2018 - Stockport - Best Customer Service Award - Stockport Business Awards

2017 - Stockport - Best Food & Drink Business - Stockport Business Awards

2017 - Best Regional Coffee Chain - Cafe Life Awards

2016 – Stockport - Retailer Of The Year - Stockport Business Awards

2015 – Altrincham – Best Independent Coffee Bar – Cafe Life Awards

2014 – Stockport – Best Latte in the UK – Beverage Standard Association

2014 – Warrington – Gold Standard Award - Cafe Life

2013 – Warrington – Golden Square Smile Retailer of the Year

2011 – UK Coffee Shop Chain of the Year - Cafe Society

2010 – Independent Coffee Shop of the Year - Cafe Society

2010 – Coffee Bar Sandwich Retailer of the Year Award - British Sandwich Association

2010 – Cafe Design of the Year Award - Cafe Society

2009 – Northern Barista Champion in the UK Barista Championship

The beans

Our coffee bean blend is unique to Rhode Island Coffee. 

Our blend is a medium dark espresso roast comprising high quality coffees from Brazil, Central America, East Africa, Ethiopia, and India.  A medium to full bodied espresso boasting flavours of dark chocolate and toffee sweetness. Low fruit acidity is maintained to make for a balanced espresso with a kick to finish.

Only served at Rhode Island Coffee!    

  • Raj

    Founder

    First of all is Raj (Mr. Rhode Island). Raj is a qualified barrister who retrained and entered the world of coffee to try his hand at being a barista! He began the company as a single coffee shop in The Dome, Altrincham, with a vision of great coffee, great atmosphere, and great people. Normally busy directing part of the Ruia Group of companies, which specialise in textiles, this was quite an excursion from his usual run-of-the-mill.

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  • Moss

    Operations Manager

    After an action packed 15 years hospitality experience, Moss found a passion for coffee and coffee shops. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for customer service, Moss will never fail to make sure that each and every customer is made to feel special and loves nothing more than meeting new customers. Moss and his hard working teams thrive from making their customers feel at home every day.

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  • Cheryl

    Head Office Operations

    Cheryl joined the team in 2006 and has worked in food & drink retail management for almost 25 years.

    Based at Rhode Island Coffee HQ, Cheryl ensures the stores have everything they need to deliver the best experience for our customers – all day, every day!

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  • Ange

    Manager - Warrington

    After 23 years in Logistics management, sat behind a desk, Ange decided to take on a whole new direction! She found that meeting the public and being in hospitality was just what she needed. Ange loves the warmth of the company and the interaction with the regulars, a lot of whom have become friends.

    She says "It is lovely to get to know our regulars and be able to be part of their lives. I know how happy some of our customers are with our personal touch and obviously the taste of our great coffee".

    Ange has been part of the team for 5 years and thanks to the internal promotion opportunities that Rhode Island offers, she has worked her way up to being co-manager of Warrington store.

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  • Sam

    Manager - Oldham

    Sam started with the company in 2017 and has progressed to the postion of store manager. She has over 15 years’ experience in coffee shop hospitality.

    Sam is a perfectionist when it comes to coffee.

    She says “I love working for the company, and believe we are the best at what we do”.

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