Award-winning mobile coffee franchise Cafe2U recently held its 8th National Leadership Conference.

The conference, attended by franchise partners from across the UK, consisted of talks and presentations and a chance for attendees to meet suppliers and service providers. In the evening franchisees attended the gala dinner and the company’s annual awards ceremony featuring the hotly contested ‘Barista of the year’ and ‘Franchise Partner of the Year’.

The winners of the Cafe2U awards were:

• Cafe2U Franchise Partner of the Year – Paul Newman, Cafe2U Rochester
• Cafe2U Barista of the Year (joint winners) – Peter & Kirsty Boyce, Cafe2U Norwich East and Antonio Petrosino, Cafe2U Merton & Croydon South
• Cafe2U Supreme Bean of the Year (recognising the year’s best new starter) – Alan Fulton, Cafe2U Aberdeen South and Ian Esslemont, Cafe2U Guildford

Explaining how Paul came to win the prestigious award, managing director Tom Acland, who bought the master franchise having been a Cafe2U customer when he worked in Sydney, Australia said, “Paul Newman was chosen as winner of the Cafe2U Franchise Partner of the Year for consistently demonstrating the highest standards of service, salesmanship and marketing and of course coffee barista skills, throughout the last 12 months.

“The award is points based with points being awarded for a variety of disciplines across the full year, meaning the winner truly is a Cafe2U franchise partner of the highest order.”

Winner Paul Newman said, “I was very pleased and surprised to win this year’s Franchise Partner of the Year Award. I don’t think my business would have been nearly so successful without the professional support from the team at Cafe2U head office. I would like to say a special thank you to my franchise development manager, Mustafa Dol, for his ongoing support, honesty and for always listening to my concerns and ideas. I’m now looking forward to a long partnership with Cafe2U and a successful 2015.”

Summing up the day Tom Acland said, “We had a fantastic day at this year’s conference and to crown Paul as our Franchise Partner of the Year is testimony to the performance levels he has achieved in his business in the past 12 months.

“It isn’t possible to become the overall winner unless you consistently manage your Cafe2U business to the highest of standards, contribute to the network, make sure everything is on brand at all times and of course, serve great coffee.

“As Paul has said it doesn’t happen without a great franchise support team from Cafe2U ensuring everything runs well and facilitating his performance. Coffee sales in the UK still have a long way to go, with our recent survey showing a rise in people drinking straight espresso, as our coffee drinking palates become more educated.”

Cafe2U, who saw impressive growth figures in 2014, currently operate over 60 vans across the UK. The vans sell barista-made, espresso-based coffees, sweet treats and snacks, to people in non-traditional locations across the country including, business parks, building sites, and events of all types, sizes and locations.