We wanted to find a way to support small independent coffee shops to reduce cost, improve business process and benefit from b ... uying in larger quantities, that’s why we invented HatHats Trade Partners. This is a relatively new initiative but the concept is simple. We figured that even though every coffee shop in the UK offers slightly different foods there will be some items we all rely on and sell. Things like sugar, takeaway cups, blue roll, soya milk etc. So, what if we purchased these items together in bigger quantities from distributors and, therefore, at a reduction in price? A sort of buying club, if you like, where we all benefit from the lower prices given for bulk orders. This is not our core business, so we are not going to become a big one-stop wholesaler. Instead, we want to concentrate on a handful of products that we will use in our own stores that we can buy in bulk and share savings with our Trade Partners. In addition to stocking physical items for coffee shops, over time we intend to offer a wide range of additional services to coffee shops. This could range from payroll processing to back-office systems and technology support. We could also offer a similar buying power discount scheme for printing and other forms of advertising. We also see working with others a great way to learn and share knowledge and expertise with our partners. What makes us able to do this? Well, we are lucky, our head office sits on top of a warehouse in Whitstable, Kent, and we already have an online store serving members of the public so have links with couriers and distribution channels. read more