One of our favourite weekends of the year, the annual Cafe2U Conference never disappoints and this year was no different!
Taking place on Saturday, January 27th, at Alveston Manor in Stratford Upon Avon, this conference was a particularly special one, as it marked the launch of our 20th anniversary celebrations!
As well as giving our franchisees the opportunity to attend workshops aimed at enhancing their knowledge and practices, the conference also allowed us to look back at the business developments and successes that have taken place over the last 20 years, celebrate how far we've come and set out where we are heading.
It also gave our franchisees the chance to get to know their colleagues, our suppliers and our head office team, enjoy some good food, have a dance and enjoy an awards evening - which is what we'll be focussing on in this blog!
Cafe2U Awards 2024.
The perfect way to end a busy day, our annual awards event was as enjoyable and hotly-contested as ever, with the quality of every nominee really emphasising just how amazing our franchise partners are and how hard they work.
The nine categories - and their respective winners - were:
The Coronation Treat Award.
Presented to franchise partners that went above and beyond in order to serve the armed forces at the King's Coronation last year, the recipients were Kola Onakoya, Bernard Sullivan and Gemma and Clair Gay.
Special thanks went to Scott and Emma Colmer, Tim Shaw, Kayleigh Wylde, Bob Golbert, Jo and Gary Bonnick and Antonio and David Petrosino for their efforts too!
Rising Star Award.
One of the conference's newer awards, this category recognises partners that demonstrate an excellent understanding of the franchise model, are hungry to learn and who show determination to build and run their franchise as successfully as possible.
This year's winner was Rob Johnson (Cafe2U Warrington North)!
Barista of The Year Award.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Barista of The Year Award is a tough one to win - you'd only need to look at the length of the 'short' list to understand just how many fantastic baristas we're lucky to have in our ranks (hint: it wasn't that short!).
This year, there was nothing to choose between two of the nominees… so we crowned two champions!
Congratulations to Emil Pandrea (Cafe2U Goole) and Gemma and Clair Gay (Cafe2U Bath South West) who simply serve perfect coffees, day in and day out, without exception!
Supreme Bean Award.
This award is presented to the partner who exhibits the highest standards across several areas of their business. On this occasion, however, we were once again spoilt for choice, so it's another category with dual winners - congratulations to Laura Hall (Cafe2U Bury St Edmunds) and Anna Molnar (Cafe2U Bristol East)!
Most Improved Franchise Partner Performance.
This award recognises the franchise partner who has most significantly improved their business over the last 12 months and this year's winners were Peter and Melanie Smart (Cafe2U Chelmsford East).
Social Media Award.
Another relatively new award, this category recognises the franchise partner who has used their social media accounts to communicate and interact with customers most effectively.
Hats off to Emma Pardoe (Cafe2U Kingswinford) whose social media savvy is nothing short of exemplary!
Outstanding Achievement Award.
This special award is dedicated to our ambassadors - long-serving partners who have been with Cafe2U for a significant amount of time and elevated the company as a result.
This year's recipient has been with us for almost 13 years and, while navigating numerous ups and downs along the way, has always been an exceptional team player. Congratulations to Paul Newman (Cafe2U Rochester).
Double Espresso Award.
A new award for 2024, this category celebrates those franchisees who operate successfully as a pair (or even a family business).
The inaugural winners were a husband and wife team who operate in Chippenham, love what they do and consistently make their customers' days. Well done, Richard and Sharon Bool!
And finally, the big one…
Franchise Partner of the Year Award.
This award recognises and celebrates the very best performer across every aspect of the business over the previous 12 months.
For demonstrating consistent growth - despite the tough economic situation facing UK consumers - this year's winners, for the second year running, no less, were Amanda and Steve Lawrence (Cafe2U Braintree)!
An extremely worthy pair of winners, we're rewarding Amanda and Steve's hard work with a trip to Copenhagen for a food and coffee tour, plus tickets to the World of Coffee Festival!
Can't see your local Cafe2U barista among the winners? Let us know why they'd have been worthy champions on our social media channels!
To find out how you could become our newest franchise partner, click here.
