Kiss the Hippo Coffee

Overview

Kiss the Hippo was founded in 2018 by Can Eren in Richmond-upon-Thames, with a separate roastery built around a Loring Smart Roaster, and was certified by Swiss non-profit On A Mission as the world's first carbon-negative coffee company. The hippo name and red hippo motif are Eren's playful shorthand for the company's reverence for nature, and Kiss the Hippo has won the UK Barista Championships twice while expanding to nine London cafes including Mayfair, Fitzrovia, Shoreditch, Covent Garden, Soho and the City.

Known for

• Founded 2018 by Can Eren in Richmond-upon-Thames
• Certified the world's first carbon-negative coffee company by Swiss non-profit On A Mission
• Operates a Loring Smart Roaster — heat-recycling drum roaster significantly more energy-efficient than conventional machines
• Two-time UK Barista Championship winner
• Pays at least 50% above Fair Trade reference price and pursues organic certification on coffees

Why it matters

Sustainability claims in specialty coffee are usually marketing varnish; Kiss the Hippo built the company so that an external Swiss auditor could certify it as net-negative on carbon. Combine that with two UK Barista Championship wins and the Loring at the heart of the roastery and Kiss the Hippo is the credible answer to whether a London cafe chain can scale to nine sites without trading off cup quality or ecological seriousness.

Production

destoning

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head roaster

Joshua Tarlo (Director of Coffee, former UK Barista Champion)

color sorting

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roaster machine

Loring Smart Roaster

filter equipment

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cupping frequency

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roastery location

London (Richmond area)

espresso equipment

Custom Kees van der Westen with hippo motif (Richmond)

annual volume tonnes

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Café

50 George Street, Richmond, London TW9 1HJ

Recognitions

• World's first carbon-negative coffee company (On A Mission certification)
• UK Barista Championship winner (2x)

Sources

• https://kissthehippo.com/pages/about-us
• https://kissthehippo.com/pages/kiss-the-hippo-cares
• https://typica.coffee/en/narratives/roasters/kiss-the-hippo-coffee/
• https://www.worldcoffeeportal.com/interview/growth-and-sustainability-can-thrive-together-kiss-the-hippo-founder-can-eren/
• https://balancejournal.co/food-drink/kiss-the-hippo-review
• https://www.doubleskinnymacchiato.com/2021/07/kiss-hippo-coffee-richmond.html