Meet the 2024 Grounds of Innovation Winners, Mother Espresso
The Liverpool based coffee shop, Mother Espresso, were voted the UKs most innovative and creative independent coffee shop in BRITA's 2024 Grounds of Innovation campaign.
In Spring 2024, BRITA Professional teamed up with an expert panel of judges to uncover the most groundbreaking coffee shops in the UK. These are the places that truly inspire creativity and act as hubs for their local communities – spaces that deserve to be celebrated. While many cafes entered the competition, Mother Espresso, Liverpool based coffee shop took home first-place.
Hear from the owner
Winning this competition is absolutely amazing! Being recognised for our work, especially by a panel of industry experts, makes this victory even more special. Our goal has always been to create a welcoming community friendly space that offers a unique and creative experience.
How did it feel to be nominated the most creative coffee shop in the UK for 2024?
"We were incredibly pleased to be nominated, to then go on to win was a very happy surprise! We've always strived to create a unique experience for our customers, and the award is a fantastic validation of the hard work and passion we’ve all put into it."
You mentioned your goal is to create a welcoming community and friendly space that offers a unique and creative experience, what have you found is the most important factor to achieving this?
"It all starts with hospitality – welcoming people into our cafe, offering them a comfortable spot to relax, and serving them nice food and drinks. We want every customer to feel welcomed and valued from the moment they walk in. We strive to be inclusive, offering something for everyone. We're not about pushing a coffee manifesto or overwhelming people with our knowledge. But if you do want to chat with our baristas, we're always up for a conversation."
How important is the use of filtered water to you at creating great tasting coffee at Mother Espresso?
"Good water is absolutely essential for creating great-tasting coffee. It's not just about protecting our equipment from scale build up, although that's certainly important. More importantly, a filter allows us to manipulate the water's mineral composition, creating a more desirable foundation for both extraction and flavour. Great-tasting water makes great-tasting coffee, and we've always relied on filtration to achieve that."
You won a BRITA PURITY C iQ as part of your prize, how has this positively benefited you coffee shop over the last year?
"The BRITA PURITY C iQ has been a real asset to Mother Espresso. It's not just about preventing scale, although that's a huge plus. It's also about creating the ideal water profile for brewing. The iQ technology allows us to monitor and adjust the water composition, ensuring optimal extraction and flavour. This has allowed us to really dial in our recipes and consistently serve the best possible coffee."
If you had to put a coffee shop forward for Grounds of Innovation 2025, who would you submit and why?
"I'd put forward Taith. They're doing something really special. As a family run, owner-operated space combining a coffee shop, roastery, bookshop and pottery studio, they've created something truly unique. Their ever-changing small plates menu, in-house bakes, and single origin coffees show a real commitment to quality and innovation. They focus on creating a positive environment, not just for customers, but for their staff too. They genuinely care about the quality of the experience for everyone involved, and their ethos of "community not commodity" shines through in everything they do."
