Northern Ireland coffee-to-go brand expands into Scotland with exclusive £2.5million distribution deal

Northern Ireland-born coffee-to-go brand, Barista Bar, developed by Newtownabbey-based Henderson Foodservice, is expanding into Scotland with an exclusive £2.5million distribution deal, with CJ Lang & Son, which owns the SPAR retail brand in the region.

The deal is part of Barista Bar’s long-term ambitious UK growth strategy and will see Barista Bar replace the company’s incumbent offering within 104 of CJ Lang & Son’s company owned SPAR stores throughout Scotland, alongside a host of its independent retailers.

Barista Bar installation roll out has begun, with the first installation taking place at David Sands Pinkie Farm store in Musselburgh, East Lothian, back in August. Already the retailer, who joined the SPAR family in June 2023, has experienced a growth in sales of over 100% versus the previous coffee offering.

The agreement means that Barista Bar is now available via 730 machines across the UK, selling over 12 million cups per annum. Since launching in 2015, and thanks to this exciting new partnership, the number of locations offering Barista Bar machines has surged by an astonishing 1,721%.

The announcement was made at CJ Lang & Son’s annual trade show and conference in Aviemore, Scotland, where the Barista Bar team introduced the brand and its products to even more independent SPAR retailers from across Scotland.

Mark Stewart-Maunder, commercial and development director at Henderson Foodservice, part of the Henderson Group, said: “This is an extremely exciting day for our premium coffee-to-go brand, and a huge testament to the commitment the team has displayed in making the product a resounding success since it launched in 2015.

“Two years ago, our Foodservice company invested over £6m into Barista Bar to upgrade the brand and machinery to produce a stand-out product that has had a hugely positive impact on our retailers’ sales and footfall, and our very first Barista Bar Drive Thru opened at SPAR Mallusk just last year. We look forward to CJ Lang & Son’s stores and independent retailers experiencing this boost as we continue to show the benefits of a high-quality food and coffee to go offering within convenience retailing.”

Barista Bar machines are amongst the best in the market, boasting a patented milk system to create a unique and satisfying foam on cappuccinos, lattes and hot chocolate drinks. The brand has also diversified its offering, with the first ever Planted machine, offering oat milk options, installed at SPAR Queen’s University in Belfast last October.

In response to overwhelming demand and remarkable success, the Planted offering has since launched in SPAR Mallusk and SPAR Titanic, marking the beginning of a broader expansion strategy set to unfold across additional locations in the coming months.

Colin McClean, CEO at CJ Lang & Son, continued: “This exclusive brand franchise agreement with Barista Bar coffee is a great commercial proposition for not only our Scottish SPAR independent retailers and our SPAR Scotland company owned estate but for all convenience and petrol forecourt stores in Scotland.

“We anticipate having Barista Bar coffee available in the majority of our company owned SPAR Scotland store estate by the end of 2024, with the balance coming over in 2025.”

Keavy O’Mahony-Truesdale, brand manager at Barista Bar, added “We have met a number of Scottish SPAR retailers at CJ Lang & Son’s trade show and look forward to introducing even more independent retailers our hugely competitive, high quality Barista Bar offering in the coming months.”

CJ Lang & Son, based in Dundee, is the wholesaler for SPAR Scotland, the largest symbol group in Scotland, with over 300 convenience stores across the country.