BRITAIN’S growing thirst for top-quality coffee has sparked the opening of a new Nespresso customer service centre in York.

The centre, situated on the fifth floor of Nestlé’s offices in Haxby Road, has generated 40 jobs, with another 18 set to be recruited by Christmas and a total workforce of 73 by 2012.

Staff are being intensively trained to deal with calls and emails from people all over Britain and Ireland, who want to buy Nespresso coffee-making equipment or need information about devices they already own.

Brema Drohan, managing director of Nespresso UK and Ireland, said calls have until now been handled by a centre abroad, but with sales growing last year by 35.5 per cent in the UK and Ireland, it made sense to establish one in the UK.

Speaking at yesterday’s official launch, she said York had been chosen for the centre because parent company Nestlé had room available in its offices, but also because the local population was suitable to provide stability of employment.

She said people were now much more discerning in terms of the quality of coffee they could make in their own home, partly because of their experiences on holidays abroad and because of the growth of high-street coffee bars.

The Nespresso capsules used in the machines offered 16 different blends and tastes.

Nestlé UK boss Paul Grimwood has said previously that Nespresso’s arrival in York has marked another step on the site’s journey towards becoming a world-class, multi-purpose business centre fit for the future.

Nestlé UK has invested half a million pounds in establishing the centre for Nespresso, which is fronted in TV ads by George Clooney.

One of the centre’s new employees is Abigail Bedford, of Low Catton near Stamford Bridge, who worked previously at Lloyds TSB Business section in York.

She said she saw an advert in The Press and decided to apply, fancying a change and a new challenge. She was excited by Nespresso’s arrival in York, as it seemed an exciting company with good opportunities to grow further in the UK.