kWh Coffee appoints new chair

York-based sustainable coffee start-up kWh Coffee has appointed Laurence Beardmore as chair after securing new investment to support the launch of a roasting platform.

Laurence brings significant coffee industry and business experience, having acquired York Coffee Emporium in 2011 and grown its revenues more than 80-fold to seven figures before its sale to the Upton Group.

A former qualified Q Grader, he has also served as president of York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.

Laurence said: “I am thrilled to take on the role of chair at kWh Coffee Ltd at such a pivotal moment in the company’s journey. 

“Securing this startup funding from York Angels is a strong vote of confidence in our vision and team. 

“kWh Coffee represents a truly innovative startup – one that has the potential to introduce the next generation of fresh ideas and disruptive offerings to the coffee industry. 

“I look forward to working closely with the founders and our investors to accelerate our growth and drive meaningful innovation in the market.”

Laurence’s appointment comes as kWh Coffee closes a seed funding round backed by York Angels alongside a Great Ideas grant from the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

Founded by Caitlin Walker and Shaun Feakins in 2026, kWh Coffee operates an all-electric roasting operation from York’s Raylor Centre.

The investment will support the launch of a new roasting-as-a-service platform allowing businesses to compare green coffees, view supply chain costs and access per-kilo Scope 3 emissions data.

The platform is set to launch with an initial group of businesses in Yorkshire and London next month.

Caitlin Walker, co-founder of kWh Coffee, added: “We’re delighted to have York Angels behind us and really grateful for their confidence in what we're building. 

“Most businesses have no idea what their coffee costs at each step or what it emits, and we think there's a huge opportunity to hand that over. 

“Having Laurence join as chair, with everything he learned scaling York Coffee Emporium, is a massive boost as we take the platform to market.”

Want your business, product or service to be seen regionally and nationally? Bdaily helps you get your story in front of the right audience, every day. Find out how Bdaily can help →

Join more than 55,000 subscribers by signing up to our daily bulletin each morning here.