The Newsletter August 2023

Challenges for small businesses:

Sydney Street Pelicano is our flagship store. Opening in 2014, it has had some legendary baristas and managers steering the ship. Despite the street nowadays being celebrated for its abundance of speciality coffee shops, back in those days it was the pioneering store to grab a quality, conscious brew. 

Previously named the 'dumb waiter cafe' due to the ancient mechanism inside, it's a very old building; estimated to have been built around the 19th century. 

The store is managed by veteran superstar Dawn and her lovely team. They use a 3 group-head Synesso Cyncra, manufactured in Seattle. It's famous for brewing beautiful espresso and don't we know it! It's internal pressure system and manual group heads are a dream to work with.

The garden is home to one of the only remaining Kiwi trees in the country. It's distinctive smell and sprawling nature is awesome. 

Being a small business we have to try and work with transparency and have fun while doing it. With cost of living increasing in recent times paired with people seeing hospitality roles as a means to an end rather than a career, it can be tough to maintain both high expectations and entertain enjoyment with our responsibilities on a day to day basis. To create a fun space with a fair work life balance is our main aim. Encouraging, listening and talking to our staff to try and create a healthy working environment where people feel valued is one of our top priorities. Being in an industry thats ever changing, keeping up with trends is also important, therefore training effectively is another way our team can feel valued, this also helps our stores thrive. This can also help the team learn that we try and stay a fully inclusive coffee shop, and understanding the right time for a Vanilla ice latte and a single origin V60 is vital in what we believe. With many more challenges on the horizon it is key that we stay humble and to remember the roots of Pelicano Coffee Co.

Written by Adnan

Roaster Profile: Adnan

Our beloved roaster Adnan joined the business 8 years ago and has been pivotal to the business' success, slinging out coffees on the bar, roasting in multiple stores and on different machines during his tenure and being a shoulder to cry on the tougher days.

The man has roasted on a Kuban 15, Probat L12 and Petroncini TT20 to name a few. He also roasts his colleagues without provocation. 

I'm often found quizzing Ads about his Muslim background and the challenges of growing up in a rough neighbourhood. Ads' drive for perfection on each batch he roasts acts as rocket fuel for our roastery team but he also inspires perspective, an appreciation of the small things like catching up with colleagues about their lives and respecting individuals despite their differences. 

Ads pioneered the wholesale department of the Pelicano roastery and was our first account manager/delivery driver on a beat up, old Royal Mail bicycle (painted black, of course)

A large part of a perfect batch roast comes from the roast profile, and whilst roasting softwares can quantify and map out a profile, it takes a intuition, experience and patience to be able to 'drop' (a term used for releasing a batch roast once it is done) a light roast early enough that the natural sugars and complex flavours haven't been burnt out of the bean, but long enough that the beans have 'developed' flavour, expanded and settled after first crack. 

 Written by Ryan

Wholesale Partners: Lost World Coffee

Lost World, situated in Glasgow, are the only business in Scotland serving Pelicano Coffee. They're bagel connoisseurs and forward-thinking, ethical business people. Using all planet-friendly packaging and focusing on fresh produce, we're so proud to wholesale partners with them. 

Dave & Kerri opened the business during the pandemic and have since been serving up the good bean juice every day of the week!

Location: 491 Great Western Road, Glasgow G12 8HL