News & Events A new tenant is set to roast up a storm as the Flying Horse Walk Welcomes 200 Degrees

Success is brewing in for new coffee venture 200 Degrees

SPECIALIST coffee roasting company 200 Degrees is opening a new café at Flying Horse Walk in Nottingham – with further plans to build their chain across the Midlands.

200 Degrees Coffee is an artisan firm of coffee roasters, sourcing beans from Rainforest Alliance certified farms. 200 Degrees is the sister company of Belle & Jerome, the successful Notts coffee house and bistro with branches in West Bridgford and Beeston.

The café, which is expected to create 15 new jobs, is the brainchild of university pals Rob Darby and Tom Vincent – with co-director Tim Moss. It will occupy the 3,000 sq ft former Sugacane unit in what was once the historic 15th century Flying Horse Inn in The Poultry side of the Flying Horse Walk.

The ground floor of the building will be devoted to the 200 Degrees café which will serve specialist coffee, drinks and food – while upstairs will be Nottingham’s first barista school, which will run courses for both the public and trade customers.

Simon Blair of London and County which owns the Flying Horse Walk said: “We are delighted to welcome 200 Degrees Coffee to the mall. It is a great new independent coffee shop which is a great addition to the niche shopping centre’s offering and we are sure it will be a success.”
Tom said: “We roast our own coffee in a Meadow Lane building and we sell our coffee to other restaurants and bars. We are passionate about our coffee and look forward to bringing a new concept coffee shop to Nottingham.

“There are so many giant coffee chains but we know we are offering something of far higher quality and can’t wait to show city coffee drinkers what we are all about. When it comes to independent specialist coffee houses like 200 Degrees, we believe that Nottingham hasn’t got its fair share like other cities and towns.”

Tim added: “This is a beautiful building with a long history and we are thrilled that this will be our first dedicated coffee shop. We have plans to further extend our brand across the Midlands.”

Rob and Tom met at the University of Nottingham around two decades ago where they were both studying engineering – but neither of them took up jobs in the sector. A year after graduation, during which time Rob attempted to cycle to Australia, and Tom attempted a PhD, the firm friends set up their first venture together in 1997 when they took on a tenancy of The Old Peacock in Lenton.

In 1999 they bought Cucamara in the city centre which they traded until 2012. During this time they set up Belle & Jerome which become immediately successful, launched 200 Degrees and then launched three garden centre cafes in Bradmore, Notts, Tickhill and Towcester. They now employ 110 staff.

Both 41, Rob and Tom – along with Tim – are looking forward to building the 200 Degrees brand. Rob and Tom’s passion for coffee could – surprisingly – come from their engineering roots.

“I am a bit of a coffee ‘geek’,” confesses Tom. “For me, it’s a combination of science and art. The coffee side of the business is what really excites us. We roast all our coffee ourselves. We meticulously test all our coffees, ensuring they taste great, and use old fashioned artisan methods to ensure we deliver coffee which really stands out.”

The deal was done by Ben Tebbutt of FHP Property Consultants which is the agent for theFlying Horse Walk.

Ben said: “200 Degrees will bring a brand new concept to Nottingham and we are delighted to welcome them to the scheme. The Flying Horse Walk is a success story for the city and home to many independent eateries and retailers. For me, this unit was made for 200 Degrees.”

The Flying Horse Walk is a boutique shopping arcade which has now attracted a host of new tenants since its £100,000 makeover in 2012 and a successful marketing campaign by FHP.

200 Degrees will be carrying out a brand new fit out to the unit over the summer and will be opening in September.

Picture caption, from right to left: Landlord Simon Blair, FHP agent Ben Tebbutt, tenants Rob Darby and Tom Vincent.