A YORK artisan coffee roaster has won a contract to create and supply a specially blended coffee for an East Yorkshire tourist attraction welcoming 60,000 visitors every year.

York Coffee Emporium, which has grown annual turnover to almost £500,000 in the last four years, is adding the Lilypade Cafe at Burnby Hall and Gardens Museum in Pocklington to its list of supply portfolio.

Owner and manager of Lilypad Café, Annette Blanchard, has also ordered the same coffee blend for her other business Fresh Food Deli and Coffee Bar, in Pocklington's market place, which she opened in the premises of a former shoe shop 15 years ago.

Ms Blanchard said: "A national café chain has opened not far from Fresh Food Deli and Coffee Bar. I chose to work with York Coffee Emporium so we offer more exciting coffees as it has become a connoisseurs’ drink that people really savour.

"I had been serving the same Italian coffee for 10 years and it was time for a change.

"York Coffee Emporium has created the same blend for Lilypad Café as I want people to identify it with my businesses.

"From a business perspective, York Coffee Emporium provides sellers with excellent point of sales materials to enable us to promote their coffees and share in their success."

Ms Blanchard, a former chef at several North Yorkshire restaurants and hotels, including The Green Man, Malton and The Parsonage, Escrick, took over the franchise for the Lilypad Café three years ago.

Staff numbers at the two businesses rose from 24 to 36 in 2014 and Ms Blanchard believes current growth in customers may lead to a further increase to 40 this summer.

Nether Poppleton-based York Coffee Emporium was taken over by husband and wife duo Laurence and Philippa Beardmore in 2011. At the time the business turned over £11,000 a year.

Mr Beardmore, said: "Annette Blanchard has built up two first-rate establishments and we’re very pleased to be supplying them.

"Many people are now coffee connoisseurs and, with the proliferation of national chains, we help other like-minded independent businesses stay ahead of the game by offering their own special blend which is unique in their catchment area."