We're proud to fuel over 250 of the country's leading speciality coffee shops. Our Volcano hot spots series illuminates their expertise, their passion and their courage. This time, we bring you Tooting’s Forty Coffee Community Bar.
About: Forty Coffee Community Bar
Opening just a few months ago, Forty Coffee Community Bar is now a fixture of Tooting High Street. With a warm and wooden indoor aesthetic, kind smiles and a banging playlist, this coffee shop has quickly become a new South London local. We wanted to chat with the owner, Sam to find out more about Forty and why they chose to use Volcano coffee.
Tell me about your business
Forty was born from a desire for connection during the global pandemic. The idea emerged from a personal need to connect with others and a vision of businesses transcending transactions to better serve local communities. Hence, the mobile coffee bike was launched. Our aim was to prioritise meaningful interactions over high prices, placing the bike in the heart of Colliers Wood. And quickly discovered a strong appetite for community engagement - people stayed for a chat!
Three months ago, we opened the Forty coffee shop near Tooting Broadway, serving speciality coffee, fresh pastries and on weekends, cocktails alongside live music and comedy events. We also sell a range of deli products from local producers (from no more than a 3-mile radius) such as Tooting honey, sourdough from Lockdown Bakehouse, and of course bags of Volcano coffee. We have a few initiatives to support the community such as Colliers Wood Market and ‘Cup of Kindness,' where our customers can pay £1 to pay a coffee forward to someone who can’t afford it or is just having a bad day.
What did you choose to use Volcano?
We absolutely love having Volcano in our corner. As a young business, they have been incredible with their support and guidance in getting us set up and then troubleshooting issues along the way! We were very new to speciality coffee when we first started the business but we felt so much more comfortable having Volcano to guide us. The training we've attended for our new staff members has been clear, inclusive and accessible for all skill levels and we’re a better barista team for doing it.
What Volcano coffee do you serve?
We serve Firehouse Blend because it’s such a crowd-pleaser. It’s smooth, chocolatey flavour really packs a punch in whatever coffee we’re making, whether that’s an Americano or a flat white.
What is your favourite coffee order to make?
I spend most of my days making oat flat whites so definitely get the most practice with these, and they’re great for perfecting latte art.
Details
Opening Hours:
Coffee Bar
Monday-Wednesday: 7am-4pm
Thursday-Friday: 7am-10pm
Saturday: 8am-10pm
Sunday: : 8am-9pm
Coffee Bike
Mon-Fri: 7am - 1pm
Address:
Coffee Bar: 165 Tooting High St
Coffee Bike: Colliers Wood Tube Station
Instagram: @fortycoffeecommunity
Upcoming events:
Saturday 26th November - from 7:30, live music from @leavingalexandra
