Inside Elsewhere Coffee

We recently launched our new collection of coffee cups: the Large Mug, Medium Mug, Short Mug, and Espresso Cup.⁠ We couldn’t have brought this shoot to life without our friends at Elsewhere Coffee. Their coffee keeps our office running day in and day out, and their space provided the perfect backdrop for our new collection. We sat down with the team to talk about sourcing, flavour profiles, and how they bring finer fining to their everyday coffee experiences.⁠

Q: What’s the story behind Elsewhere Coffee? How did it all begin?

A: Elsewhere was founded in 2019 in Deptford in order to roast speciality coffee for Social Espresso, a coffee events business serving high-end events and conferences. As the coffee gained a following at events for brands including Google and Ferrari, demand started to grow beyond the events world, and we began roasting for cafés, restaurants and independents across the UK, building popularity in the industry. In 2024 the business took a more public facing direction, initially opening a brew bar at the Roastery in Deptford, swiftly followed by sites in Hackney Central, Honor Oak Park and Peckham.

Q: Your coffee stands out for all the right reasons. Beyond great taste, what makes Elsewhere Coffee special from a craft and sourcing perspective?

 
A: We really care about sourcing amazing coffees from great people. It doesn’t matter how big the producer is, we are looking for coffees from producers that prioritise giving back to local communities, considering environmental impact and who care about high quality. We are trying to bring this to our community in South East London too through collaborations and workplace opportunities within Elsewhere.

Our core Daydreamer coffee is a direct to farm relationship that we’re really proud of. Working with Mió in Minas Gerais in Brazil has been a massive privilege. They are a family run farm who prioritise scientific development and biodiversity. That’s really just scratching the surface on them but you can read more HERE.

Once the coffee lands in the UK our head of Coffee Siala oversees its roasting and production before it lands at our sites. Each batch is handled with care and goes through quality control before being sent out. We then put as much care as possible into each coffee delivery, ensuring the coffee has been rested for the right amount of time and that all the other factors going into the final steps are as precise as possible. We have a great team on the ground as every step in the coffee’s journey from farm to roastery to table is vitally important to getting the perfect cup.

Q: At Richard Brendon, our ethos is “Finer Dining, Every Day.” Does that idea resonate with the way you approach Elsewhere Coffee?

A: Absolutely. We want to try and elevate the ritualistic everyday coffee routine into a small moment of escapism, a chance to pause, switch off, and ‘Dream of Elsewhere'. We like to keep things a bit playful and lighthearted, and whilst we're serious about specialty coffee, we want it to be accessible and fun for all.

Q: Talk us through the Elsewhere coffee lineup. Do you have a favourite, and what makes it your go-to?

A: So many favourites! Daydreamer is a classic Brazilian with chocolate and caramel notes - brilliant with milk. Juicebox is our house option with a light, clean and juicy finish, currently from El Indio in Colombia.

We roast all our coffees omni so that you can use across all formats. Juicebox is our fave on batch though at the moment.

The rest of the menu is seasonally rotating and constantly evolving. Recently we had ‘Mango Tango’ from Jairo Arcila in Colombia -  a mango co-ferment that we served as cold brew at London Coffee Festival - it was a huge hit and was all sold out before the weekend was over.

We have an Uncommon range where we highlight rarer coffees from across the world - recently we’ve had an SL9 varietal from high altitude Peru and a super low altitude washed Galapagos coffee from Isla Santa Cruz. Both super interesting and fun to drink!

Q: Does each Elsewhere Coffee location have its own personality, from Deptford to Honor Oak to Peckham, or is there a common thread that ties them all together? How do people feel when they walk in?

A: There's definitely a common thread that runs through all of our spaces, but we've always wanted each location to feel rooted in the community it's part of rather than following a 'one size fit's all' formula.

At the heart of Elsewhere is the idea of creating warm, welcoming spaces that feel considered, homely, and somewhere people genuinely want to spend time and escape to. Beyond that, each café takes cues from its surroundings. In Deptford, we've embraced the area's post-industrial character, balancing raw materials with warmer wood tones to create a space that feels both contemporary and inviting. Peckham is naturally more fast-paced, with a younger, creative crowd, so while it's catered for people on the move, we've introduced cosy touches like the shelving above the bar to make the space feel more intimate. Honor Oak has a stronger family focus, so we've leaned into that sense of comfort and community while still maintaining the elevated design details that define the Elsewhere brand.

Q: Choose between our two mug designs. Double Line or Pinstripe? And which Richard Brendon mug shape are you reaching for: Espresso Cup, Short Mug, Medium Mug or Large Mug? And what coffee’s going in it?

A: Pinstripe every time. Super classy and unmistakably British! Makes every drink feel special. I personally like a dainty cortado in the espresso cup (more espresso than milk!)

Q: We’re big believers in the ritual of coffee. What does your personal coffee ritual look like?

A: I can’t live without a flat white to get me moving and start the day. Batch is the go to for the rest of the day, although we have to really watch out not to overdo it, sitting in an office over a coffee bar can be tough! 

Q: If Elsewhere Coffee had a soundtrack, what would be playing? A genre, an artist, or even one specific song.

A: Khruangbin - Mariella 

Q: If you could open another Elsewhere Coffee anywhere in London, where would it be and why?

A: We’d love to open in Charlton or Greenwich. They’re amazing spots with great communities that we’d love to be part of!