A YORK coffee specialist is set to serve almost 300,000 visitors a year after winning a contract to supply a specially commissioned blend to regional tourist hot spot Castle Howard.

Specially-created artisan coffee is being supplied to the stately home by York Coffee Emporium, which created the blend in its tasting laboratory at York Business Park.

The coffee, named Castle Howard Expresso Blend, is available in Castle Howard’s Courtyard Café, Coffee Shop, Boathouse Café and Fitzroy Restaurant and is also being sold in packs in the estate’s farm shop along with other special blends.

York Coffee Emporium first started to supply the Boathouse and Courtyard cafes in 2014 but has now also been contracted to supply the Coffee Shop and Fitzroy Restaurant, for which it is also supplying hot chocolate.

The contract means the firm has become the first hot beverage company to supply all the food outlets at Castle Howard which opened to the public in 1952 and had more than 270,00 visitors in 2016.

The company has also supplied Castle Howard with three automatic Expresso coffee machines, two hot coffee machines and a bulk filter machine for coffee, as well as providing barista training to café and restaurant staff.

Vending machine and refreshments systems company, Upton Group, which acquired York Coffee Emporium last year, will service the machines.

York Coffee Emporium director, Laurence Beardmore, said: “Castle Howard is often using suppliers within a 40-mile radius, and we are very pleased to be part of this.

“Supplying Castle Howard will involve at least two tonnes of specially-roasted and blended coffee beans each year.

“We are able to do this as part of Upton Group which allows us to create consistent, very high-quality coffees in large volumes with the service back-up of a big company experienced in handling large contracts.”

Head of trading at Castle Howard, Karen Hall, said: “We chose York Coffee Emporium as our local supplier to continue our delivery of a quality tasting coffee for the catering operation.

“The decision to work with York Coffee Emporium was aided by the evident passion and experience the team has for the product and delivery of good levels of care in the service to Castle Howard.”