Thousands of products related to tea and coffee products are on offer from an island eCommerce business which aims to be part of the island’s blueprint for economic growth.
The folk at CuppaCo.com say their business ties in perfectly with the plans outlined by the Department of Economic Development in its Vision 2020 document launched recently.
Head of product performance and development at CuppaCo.com, Laura Daly, said: ‘Between now and 2020 eCommerce and eBusiness is going to be a real driving force behind the Isle of Man’s economy so we are just excited to be a part of that really.’
Kate Hegarty, 29, who is marketing manager, said: ‘As an eCommerce business we are seeing this a personal challenge to succeed.’
And they said they were not afraid of competition.
‘It can only be a good thing for the island,’ they said.
‘And the world is your customer when you are in eCommerce business,’ said Kate.
Athol Street is the base for the business which claims it wants to help the island’s economy deliver in the future.
As they are predominantly based around supplying tea and coffee products it seemed only appropriate for Business News to discuss their business over a hot beverage in the neighbouring coffee shop, Coffee Exchange.
Laura, 25, said CuppaCo.com was launched in October 2012 and the owner of the business and the man who came up with the idea is entrepreneur Matt Newing.
‘It’s a purely eCommerce business. Buying online is the basic definition of it.
Kate said: ‘We launched straight to the internet rather than having a high street presence.
‘It’s more of a controlled environment. You can control costs a lot easier.
‘We have the framework in place in terms of the people and the software.’
Laura said it’s a ‘onestop shop for all things coffee and tea’. Kate said: ‘We have invested substantially in product descriptions. We have more than 7,000 products involving tea, coffee and now furniture as well. We think it is the largest catalogue of tea and coffee products.
‘They range from sugar sachets for businesses and coffee shops to to flavoured coffee, and gourmet coffee.
‘They include the very exclusive Jamaican blue mountain coffee bean, a great gift for the real coffee connoissseur .’
Laura added: ‘The coffee culture is a huge industry now.’
The business CuppaCo.com has now also announced the launch of its Café Culture furniture range as it expands.
Working in partnership with leading manufacturers, the Manx tea and coffee retailer is now able to cater to its ever growing customer base with a range of made to order furniture.
Counting the BBC, NHS and Scottish Power among its returning customers as well as providing local consumers in the island with a tea and coffee product range, the launch of furniture on the website marks the beginning of a strategic expansion plan for 2014.
Laura said: ‘Taking the leap from tea and coffee to tables and chairs was a natural progression for us because the majority of our customers sit in the hospitality arena.
‘We couldn’t have made the move without having full confidence in our talented and growing team so using our skillset was integral to the success of the expansion.
‘We are delighted to be in a position to be able to source the best product ranges for our customers when they seek our help and to be able to bring them what they need when they need it, all in one dependable place.
‘Bridging the gap between coffee supplies and furniture is a move welcomed by our customers and we can’t wait to offer affordable, staple and eye-catching design-led pieces to our Manx clients.’
To celebrate the launch of the new Café Culture range at CuppaCo.com, Laura will be providing a free design consultation service until the end of February.
For more informationthe business visit www.cuppaco.com/furniture