New ‘Cardiff Coffee Passport’ Will Showcase City’s Independent Coffee Scene This Autumn

New six-week scheme from the creators of the Cardiff Wine Passport will showcase six of the city centre’s best independent coffee venues

A brand-new Cardiff Coffee Passport will launch this autumn, inviting people to explore six of the city centre’s best independent coffee businesses while discovering different brewing methods, roasters and coffee styles along the way.

Each passport gives its holder six coffee redemptions across six participating venues during a six-week period (one at each) - with the businesses selected specifically for the strength and consistency of their coffee offering.

The inaugural line-up will feature Donald’s on Quay Street; Hard Lines at Cardiff Market; Society Café on St Mary Street; Pettigrew Bakeries in Castle Arcade; Corner Coffee in High Street Arcade; and Brodies on Castle Street. Rather than simply creating a directory of independent cafés, the scheme showcases venues where coffee is central to the experience; participating businesses were chosen based on criteria including offering at least two different brewing methods, showcasing high-quality independent and speciality roasters, offering customers the opportunity to explore coffee beyond a standard espresso-based menu, and bringing something distinctive to Cardiff’s wider coffee culture. Passport holders can choose one of two coffee options at each venue.

The first ever Cardiff Coffee Passport will go on sale on Friday 23rd October, priced at £19, with an extremely limited first run of just 300 physical passports.

The Cardiff Coffee Passport pilot is supported by FOR Cardiff’s City Ambition Fund, which funds projects designed to bring new ideas, experiences and activity into Cardiff city centre. Sustainability is also built directly into the scheme: Passport holders must drink-in (if there is space), or bring their own reusable cup for each redemption.

The Cardiff Coffee Passport is the brainchild of Cardiff-based communications consultant Jane Cook, who also founded the now annual Cardiff Wine Passport back in 2022. That scheme has since generated more than £80,000 in direct revenue for the independent Cardiff bars and restaurants involved.

Jane said, “The Cardiff Wine Passport started out as a simple idea: give people a reason to try independent venues they might otherwise walk straight past and make discovering the city part of the fun. Watching that project grow over the last four years made me wonder whether the same model could work for Cardiff’s independent coffee scene.

“It’s not a generic coffee discount / loyalty card. The six businesses in this first pilot have been chosen because they genuinely care about coffee - from the equipment and brewing methods they use to the roasters and different origins they showcase. Collectively, I think they tell an exciting story about the quality of coffee available in Cardiff right now.

I’m also really pleased we’ve been able to build re-use into the scheme from the beginning; if you want your passport coffee - you bring your reusable cup. It makes sustainable behaviour part of the experience rather than something we simply talk about as a nice to have.”

Carolyn Brownell, Executive Director at FOR Cardiff, said: “FOR Cardiff’s City Ambition Fund is about helping great ideas get off the ground and creating new reasons for people to spend time in the city centre. We saw with the Cardiff Wine Passport how a relatively simple idea could generate meaningful footfall and direct spend for independent businesses, so it’s exciting to help develop that model in a completely new way. Cardiff has a fantastic independent coffee scene, and the Cardiff Coffee Passport gives people another reason to explore it while also embedding reuse into the customer experience.”

Gareth Owens, founder of Donald’s, said: “It’s great to see Cardiff’s coffee scene going from strength to strength. The Passport gives people a reason to explore different venues, brewing methods and coffees from independent roasters, and hopefully become a bit more curious about what’s in their cup and where it comes from. If it gets more people walking into independent businesses, asking questions or trying a different brew for the first time, that’s a huge win for Cardiff and the wider coffee community.”

The first Cardiff Coffee Passport will cost £19, with only 300 copies available. People who join the mailing list will get priority access to purchase before the general sale - and with over 600 people already signed up, the Cardiff Coffee Passport is expected to sell out fast.

The Cardiff Cofffee Passport will go on sale on Friday 23rd October, with the six-week redemption period starting from Friday 30th October.

To join the priority mailing list, visit www.cardiffcoffeepassport.co.uk