Worthing family coffee roasters plotting return to former glory after lockdown

Something is brewing down a sleepy cul-de-sac in Ferring, as a stalwart of Worthing business plots a return to its former glories.
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Kendrick’s has been the town’s only coffee roaster and tea blender since 1964, originally supplying its speciality teas to flagship stores like Harrod’s and Macy’s in New York.

But the family-owned business sold its tea arm, according to third generation roaster Rob Loydell, as it saw rapid expansion in the 1990s – before founder Thalben Loydell suffered two heart attacks.

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Kendrick’s, a middle named shared by Rob and his grandfather, shifted its focus to coffee, freshly roasted on-site in its deceptively large Ocean Parade HQ.

The Kendrick's team, with father and son Phil and Rob Loydell in the foregound. Pic Steve Robards SR2102251 SUS-210225-162401001The Kendrick's team, with father and son Phil and Rob Loydell in the foregound. Pic Steve Robards SR2102251 SUS-210225-162401001
The Kendrick's team, with father and son Phil and Rob Loydell in the foregound. Pic Steve Robards SR2102251 SUS-210225-162401001

Now under the eager stewardship of 25-year-old Rob and his father Phil, the company is going back to its roots.

“I’m really trying to bring it into the 21st Century,” said Rob, who has been involved with the business since he was 12.

“We’ve tried to be positive in that we’ve used the pandemic for time to think about where we want to go and what areas of the business to pick up.”

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With much of its trade coming from sectors forced to close by the pandemic, Kendrick’s has seen its customer base slashed by 75 per cent.

This time last year Ferring was blanketed by the smell of roasting coffee every day, as 1,000kg of beans flowed out to customers each week.

That output has now halved. The tea bag situation is the same, with productivity plummeting from the usual 30,000 tea bags per day.

But out of adversity comes opportunity and having to adapt to the challenges of lockdown may have strengthened the brand in the long run.

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The company has brought in PR guru Jo Bayles and added a new salesman to drum up extra trade.

Its shop in Ocean Parade has had a revamp and is now arranged to showcase the company’s products and serve fresh, hot drinks for the first time.

Free home deliveries are now available, Kendrick’s merchandise has been introduced and Rob is spearheading the launch of a new range of teas with fresh branding.

As other businesses adapt to survive, that has also opened up new avenues for Kendrick’s to pursue. For example, micropubs such as Worthing and Rustington-based The Georgi Fin are diversifying, offering hot drinks where they would not usually in order to keep trading under social restrictions.

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Kendrick’s has agreed to supply The Georgi Fin with coffee. Read more here

The close-knit team of nine combine to develop new tea blends, but it is through Rob’s testing in the upstairs training room-cum-laboratory that the final combinations are nailed down.

His burgeoning passion for his family’s legacy came as a surprise even to him.

“I never thought when I was younger I wanted to come into the business, but I’ve come to really love it,” he said. “I love every part of it, from roasting, to dealing with customers or coming up with new blends. Even the accounting.”

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Positivity is the buzz word for Kendrick’s as the country slowly emerges from lockdown.

Despite only being there for a year, Jo said the small team already feels like a family. Some members have been there for decades.

Long-serving Linden Lambert has been there for 46 years, production manager Richard Moyce more than 20 and roasting overseer Jimmy Patel over a decade.

All have seen their hours reduced to around three days a week, but have stayed on full pay.

It is hoped that solidarity and positivity can filter into a bright future for a Worthing institution.

Find out more about Kendrick’s here: https://www.kendricks.co.uk/

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