Brewing Change in the Heart of the City: Ancoats Coffee Co’s BORRO Story
Since 2014, Ancoats Coffee Co has been at the heart of Manchester’s speciality coffee scene.
Located inside the historic Royal Mills, the roastery and café have become a go-to spot, serving world class coffee in a warm, welcoming space.
However, Ancoats Coffee Co isn’t just about great coffee. As one of Manchester’s pioneering roasters, they’ve always focused on the bigger picture, from building farmer relationships, to roasting with care, to creating a café that reflects community spirit.
Now, they’re taking that commitment a step further by introducing BORRO’s returnable cup scheme.
Cutting Out the Disposables
Like many cafés in central Manchester, Ancoats Coffee Co serves a lot of takeaway coffee. They understand the environmental impact of single-use cups, with over 3 billion thrown away in the UK each year.
To address this, they’re now offering BORRO’s returnable cups. This makes it easy for anyone grabbing a coffee on the go to ditch disposables, without sacrificing convenience.
Robbie Candy from Ancoats Coffee Co explains:
“We’ve always tried to be thoughtful in how we run the business—whether it’s sourcing, roasting, or serving our customers. BORRO is such a simple way for us to cut waste, and the scheme fits perfectly with what we’re about.”
He adds:
“Being part of the BORRO scheme is a great way to help encourage some big changes—even in a small way.”
Leading by Example
Thanks to their central location and strong following, Ancoats Coffee Co is showing that reuse isn’t just possible in Manchester, it’s the future.
Now, customers can enjoy their favourite brew in a high-quality, returnable cup designed to be used again and again.
Robbie reflects on the partnership with BORRO:
“The team at BORRO have been super helpful, super easy to work with, open to new ideas, and passionate about the things they are doing and creating. And it’s very cool to see!”
Importantly, once customers finish their drink, it’s just as easy to drop the cup back at any participating BORRO café – keeping the reuse cycle going.
Looking to the Future
For Ancoats Coffee Co, joining BORRO is another step in their journey of doing coffee differently. They’re proving that sustainability can go hand in hand with quality, community, and culture.
As Robbie puts it:
“I think the concept as a whole is awesome! Being in it from the start is great for helping to shape things, and it’s exciting to see where it will end up!”
At BORRO, we’re proud to partner with Ancoats Coffee Co, one of Manchester’s most iconic roasters—as we work to make reuse the new normal.
To stay updated, follow them on Instagram @AncoatsCoffeeCo.
