“THE COFFEE shop has become the new pub. The new community centre. Coffee will never replace alcohol but I guess, if you want to get technical, coffee has more flavour compounds than wine and while you can't get drunk you can most certainly get wired,” beams entrepreneur Adam Chapman.
We didn’t want to replicate the cosy, cute coffee shops in the city – we’re not pastiche
Chapman, a former Manchester policeman and owner of Manchester-based gym brand QDos, has recently unveiled his latest venture with Foundation Coffee.
Based within the Grade II listed Sevendale House on Lever Street, he claims the new coffee house is now the largest independent coffee shop in Manchester City Centre.
In a city, which has a developing 'coffee culture', Manchester's 'largest' coffee shop is met with high expectations.
Foundation Coffee Shop
"It’s such a good location and with such big names moving in we knew there would be good footfall – so I thought, go for it,"explains Chapman (who gushes about his 'well considered' new establishment with unbridled passion or rather, a serious coffee high).
"This used to Slaters menswear building and it was sectioned into two halves. We went back and forth between the two units until I decided to go for both. We didn’t plan on being Manchester’s biggest independent coffee shop, but that’s how it turned out," he adds.
Foundation Coffee joins Sevendale House following the historic building's £6m restoration. Over 120,000 sqft has been given a complete transformation. It's now a new Grade A office complex and has enticed major companies including Ticketmaster to make a move. Chapman is confident that with hundreds of office workers in situ, people will soon fill in for both the coffee and the attractive working space.
"It’s great for all the coffee-house types. We’ve already had the regulars who stay here for hours but we also cater for the man on a rush, checking his watch and wants his Americano stat and is out the door.
"We didn’t want to replicate the cosy, cute coffee shops in the city – we’re not pastiche," adds Chapman. "Instead we’ve gone for spacious, minimalist and stripped back with clean lines."
Designers No Chintz are the creative brains behind Foundation Coffee. They met Chapman's vision of a minimalist space and loose concept of 'engineering' and 'technology' full on. And the result is certainly attractive - albeit on the stark side.
On the ground floor, Foundation sits on a raised level and benefits from Sevendale House's high ceilings, large windows and well-preserved character. Natural light pours in. The 3,500 sq ft space caters for up to 130 people. It's big and functional with a number of work tops. It also has a portable meeting room - or, to the naked eye, a giant box.
"The word we used when designing was ‘considered’ – everything here is considered. We want people to notice new things on every visit and for every visit to be a fresh experience," says Chapman.
Levenshulme's Trove will be providing Foundation Coffee with its own 'seasonal menu' of sandwiches, cakes and pastries. There will also be smoothies for those Chapman describes as the 'health nazi' type. It's the talk of the coffee that really gets Chapman going; he chose the roasters himself, even travelling to Cornwall to sample the product in person. He's passionate, so much so he'll encourage you to smell the tea leaves.
"I'd recommend the Bristol Brew for anyone who likes a strong tea. We also have 'bulletproof coffee' (butter added to black coffee) and my own 'kevlar coffee' (butter and coconut oil added to an Americano) inspired by my days of wearing a bulletproof vest," he adds.
So how does one go from full-time cop to a coffee house owner?
"Well there was an incident with a nun and a llama.." starts Chapman before breaking into a wide grin. "No. After a few tragic family issues I decided to open up my own gym. It was with that when I found it so gratifying to make your own brand from the ground up. After realising there was a market for coffee we came to Foundation. Five years ago I was planning to pack up and leave Manchester for elsewhere and now I’m really glad we stayed."
Foundation Coffee shop is now open Monday - Sunday.
Sevendale House | Lever Street | Find out more on the website
