Three whole years ago today, BEAR Uttoxeter opened to the public for the very first time, and just look at that queue! Back then it was just Craig & Michael, their wives Lisa & Denise, and good old Ian who (lucky for us) is still behind the counter today.
Following Uttoxeter’s incredible success, December 2017 saw us opening store number 2 in Derby’s beautiful Cathedral Quarter. We’ve made lots of friends over there in the past year-and-a-bit, worked on fun projects with a few of them, and loved every second.
After launching in Derby, November 2018 quickly rolled around to welcome BEAR Stone, our third and most recent store. We could never have prepared ourselves for the incredible reception that we received from the local community there - it felt as though we had welcomed the whole town through the doors within the first week! There’s no denying that it’s been challenging at times, but it’s also been super humbling and has only spurred us on to keep doing what we’re doing.
Next up for BEAR is a huuuuge project that you may (or may not) have already heard whispers about. If you don’t know what it is, keep your eyes peeled for an ‘official’ announcement very soon. We’re a little bit excited about it.
We can’t celebrate our birthday without saying a few little “thank-you”s to the wonderful people who have helped us to get to where we are now, so without further ado…
Biggest shout-out goes to our leadership team - Craig, Michael and Chris - who work tirelessly to keep our brand going and growing, and who are all so passionate about sharing this amazing journey with as many people as they can. Also to our coffee roasting team, who keep us laughing and work so hard to make every cup taste absolutely perfect. To Lindsey, Helen, Maya and all of the team at Marketing Derby for taking us under their wing and helping us to make some noise in the city! To all of our suppliers, the local greengrocers, butchers, bakers (and candlestick makers) that keep us topped up with the ingredients to keep making yummy things. To John, Howard and their fantastic team at turnerbates for making our shops look incredible… and - most importantly of all - to our store teams that are there every day, pouring coffees, smashing avocados, shaking cocktails, and serving it all to you wonderful bunch with huge smiles on their faces. You guys are all absolute legends and we wouldn’t be where we are without you all doing the amazing jobs that you’re doing. <3
If you’re in store over the next week or so, pick up one of our 3rd Birthday ‘Thank you’ cards to read a special message written to you, from the two lads who started all this, Craig & Michael.
