Wake up and smell the coffee with Rochdale’s first ever coffee trail

Date published: 01 October 2019

Whether you are a lover of lattes, mad about mocha or all about the simplicity of an Americano, your coffee of choice could see you help both local businesses and the environment.

Starting from Tuesday 1 October – International Coffee Day – a number of independent businesses are participating in Rochdale’s first ever coffee trail, introduced by the Rochdale Business Improvement District.

Collect a stamp at all participating venues and you will receive a free reusable coffee cup, created from recycled plastic, specially designed by The Paper Concept, which provides high quality alternatives to single-use plastics.

Jayne May, Project Executive of Rochdale BID, said: “The Rochdale BID Coffee Trail is the perfect blend of helping our independent businesses whilst helping the environment.

“So many of us enjoy a cup of coffee on the go in the morning, and we hope that by providing a special one-of-a-kind cup, that people will begin to reuse this over a disposable one.”

Stamps can be collected at:

• The Medicine Tap, The Esplanade
• Pudding Paradise, Yorkshire Street
• Roasted and Toasted, The Butts
• Abaco, Rochdale Interchange
• Arts Café, Touchstones
• Russells, Wheatsheaf Centre
• Clock Tower, Rochdale Town Hall

Jason McGuire, the coffee connoisseur behind Roasted and Toasted, and the Arts Café, said: “This will be good for letting people know about all the independent coffee shops in the town centre.

“Hopefully, this will drive footfall into the town to see what is on offer.”

Lilly Batman, manager of Pudding Paradise, added: “The coffee trail is brilliant for small businesses, and is great for the environment. People who don't know about us might visit more often after trying our coffee just once - and come back to try our homemade food next time.”

Arron Dixon, of the Paper Concept, said: “One of the most difficult challenges in the reduction of single-use plastic is coffee cups. Whilst we are under the impression the cups we drink from are simply paper, the reality is they are lined in plastic to control the heat and they can't be recycled.

“With the reusable cups, we have taken plastic that already exists and recycled it into a reusable cup.”

So go ahead and enjoy your morning java, a caffeine buzz made all that bit sweeter knowing you are helping both local businesses and the environment.