Leeds-based ethical coffee company North Star, which was the first roastery and supplier of specialty grade coffee in the city, will open its new takeaway coffee shop on Sovereign Street next month. The new site will be North Star’s second shop in Leeds and will provide customers with quality coffee and sumptuous bakes that make a positive difference.
Family-run North Star was founded in 2013 by Alex and Holly Kragioupoulos from Leeds and takes an impact-led approach with the aim of building a coffee industry that works for everyone, from the producers growing and processing the coffee, to the baristas responsible for serving it, and the planet too.
The new shop, which will create two new roles taking North Star’s team to 24, will serve specialty grade coffees supplied by its network of producing partners in Brazil, Rwanda, Columbia, Costa Rica, Kenya, Guatemala, Peru and El Salvador. The quality beans supplied to North Star are bought seasonally and roasted weekly in its Armley-based roastery to provide the freshest cup of coffee.
As part of its commitment to minimise the impact it has on the environment, North Star, which received B Corp status in June and was the first coffee roaster in the UK to have 100 percent home compostable packaging, has designed its new shop to be sustainable. The countertops will be made using recycled paper and cardboard and the flooring will be from Recork, suppliers of functional cork flooring that helps reverse global warming and restores the planet’s ecological balance.
Holly Kragioupoulos co-founder and CEO, said: “Opening our second shop in Leeds is a key step in our growth and impact strategy. Our new Sovereign St take-away shop, when it opens next month, will be ideally situated for more consumers to enjoy our quality coffee and bakes, and each time they do, they will be helping provide a solution to some of the endemic issues in the supply chain.
“As we approach our tenth year in business, our commitment to building a coffee industry that works for everyone is unwavering and just as vital as it was when we opened our roastery in Leeds almost ten years ago. The support from the local community has been a strong factor in North Star’s success to date and opening our second shop in the city and creating further roles was a natural step. We look forward to welcoming new and old customers alike.”
Leeds Dock-based Nova Bakehouse supplies North Star with flavourful pastries and sourdough bread. It champions positive interactions over commercial extraction by creating an alternative economy for farmers that regenerate land with diversity.
