You've probably guessed that we're convinced brands have a role to play in selling exceptional quality coffee. The thing is, we're not really too excited about any of the UK's current coffee brands. So we decided to create a bunch of our own. Why? To give you the same advantages as the big brands - namely impact and instant recognition. That meant starting somewhere different - by developing UK coffee brands for the UK coffee market. Atomic Coffee-to-go is a big business that's getting bigger. Atomic is truly self-service, housed in a custom-build cabinet. OK, so there's no triple skinny hazelnut latte button. But then again, all the retailer has to do is fill the machine with fresh milk and beans. And there's no danger of anyone ending up with espresso in their ear hole. Once a customer selects their drink, it does the rest - bringing good quality coffee to places you wouldn't expect. Like bus stations, train stations and petrol stations.

In fact, it's good in most kinds of station. Except space stations, where you'd need some kind of gravity tube to drink the coffee.

Tinderbox
Tinderbox is the place you go when you're exacting about your espresso extraction. So to speak.

However, it's anything but stuffy. Tinderbox offers an alternative to the corporate horrors of the city centre - a modern place to relax, meet and get down to the important business of enjoying coffee.

Tinderbox will be appearing in the UK's coolest bars, restaurants and hotels - places where people demand great things from their beans. They'll also create a destination in their own right, drawing in new customers for the coffee and experience.

Crema
Confident about the coffee, independent of mind and stylishly served - Crema is a brand that works on its own terms.

It's about reinforcing the quality of the coffee, and the care that's gone into the preparation - justifying the premium a customer pays to enjoy something this good.

But it's certainly not preaching to customers - Crema is more of a friend in the know than a know-it-all.

This is a retail coffee brand that offers customers a real alternative to ersatz American and Italian coffee culture. Crema is a modern but authentic take on what it means to serve good coffee - never forgetting that people want to drink the stuff, not be lectured on it.

This article originally appeared in Fresh 16