NEW customer gains and projected growth have seen independent artisan coffee roaster York Coffee Emporium reveal plans for a move into bigger premises.

The family business, owned by Laurence Beardmore and his wife, Philippa, since 2012, is to relocate from London Ebor Business Park, York, to acquire 3,000 sq ft premises at Rose Centre Business Park nearby after beating its growth targets during the last 12 months.

The new premises will also have a 2,000 sq ft extension for offices, a showroom with coffee tasting facilities and a new packaging room.

Mr Beardmore said: "Our current premises have served us well for almost three years but now we need more space to capitalise on our growth and accommodate future expansion.

"Every time we grow we need to store more green coffee which we roast to our own particular standard then store again. We also take great care to roast by single origin for blending because it tastes far better but this also adds to our storage requirements.

"We are also building in future growth with our relocation as we aim to buy a new coffee roasting machine to increase capacity and want to take on two new apprentice coffee roasters and two interns from the University of York, who will work on specific projects."

York Coffee Emporium, which is also expanding through an e-commerce facility on its website, has broken its own growth record with more than 40 new customer gains so far this year.

These involve creating special individual coffee blends for cafes, restaurants and hotels throughout Yorkshire as well as contracts to roast coffee for other organisations further afield.

Mr Beardmore said: "We exceeded our £500,000 projected turnover in 2014 and hope to achieve £750,000 this year as growth continues, largely through word-of-mouth recommendation.

"However all profits will be re-invested in the business to we can create jobs for young people and continue to grow."

Among contracts which York Coffee Emporium has won this year is supplying individual blends to The Lilypad Café at Burnby Hall Gardens and Museum in Pocklington and Fresh Food Deli and Coffee Bar in Market Place, Pocklington, both run by Annette Blanchard.