Mark and Nichola, with a combined experience of over 50 years in the hospitality industry, decided to set up Roast Republic after recognizing their shared passion for high-quality coffee and customer service. Having spent decades understanding the nuances of the food and beverage sector, they saw an opportunity to create something unique by blending their expertise with their love for coffee culture. Their vision was to offer not only exceptional coffee but also an elevated experience for customers, built on the foundation of their extensive knowledge of hospitality. This led to the creation of Roast Republic, a brand dedicated to crafting exceptional coffee while fostering meaningful connections with their clientele.

Back in 1999 Mark’s introduction into the world of coffee was installing and maintaining commercial espresso equipment for many High St coffee chains such as Starbucks, Cafe Nero ,Illy Cafe and Coffeenation (now Costa-Express). 

I was 25 when i was employed by Mulmar UK to cover Birmingham to Scotland, there was only four Caffe Nero’s north of Birmingham when i started, right at the start of the UK coffee boom as Starbucks arrived the year before.

This included many trips around the world to visit coffee machine manufacturers in Seattle and Italy to understand the relationship between Machine and Bean? 

Moving away from the High St coffee chains i worked for numerous local and national tea and coffee companies on a subcontract basis. Installing and maintaining commercial coffee equipment, barista training and supplying product.

In 2014 he then set up English Lakes Tea & Coffee Company , we did very good a couple of Great Taste Awards in our first attempt and only sent three products off, we think that’s damn good going.

After Covid and the PSSR laws being policed properly and having over 20 years experiance of fixing espresso machines or installing ive been very busy with Commercial Espresso Engineers too. At the same time i decided to put English Lakes products through fulfilment to ease the pressure as it made no further sense to deliver ourselves.

Nichola has dedicated 25 years to the hospitality industry, gaining extensive experience across all areas, both front and back of house. Her front-of-house expertise includes customer service, managing guest relations, and ensuring a seamless dining experience, where she honed her communication and leadership skills. In the back of house, Nichola has worked in kitchen operations, inventory management, and team coordination, developing a deep understanding of the operational side of the business. Her broad skill set and years of hands-on experience make her a versatile and knowledgeable professional in every aspect of hospitality.

Roast Republic was born after the merging of Nichola’s experience from the hospitality industry and Marks long history out in the field to have everything in the right place and under one roof.