Our Beginning
001: Our Beginning
Hello!
My name is Josh Wilson, Founder of Swan Song, and I am an Authorised Speciality Trainer for the Speciality Coffee Association.
I’ve been working in speciality coffee since 2013. I remember in 2008, whilst still at secondary school, being taken by some friends to my favourite shop, Coffee Aroma, in my hometown of Lincoln. Here I tried ‘HasBean’ coffee for the first time, which was the moment of realisation I think all coffee enthusiasts have. That there is levels to this coffee game!
From that point onwards it has always seemed to be in the back on my mind that I wanted to work in coffee and one day own a coffee business of my own.
Whether it was the dynamic of the shop, the seemingly endless possible variations of the exceptional coffee or the people who gravitate towards these spaces, I felt at home and I wanted in on this in any way I could. So once I finished my degree in photography, it took all my attention. I moved back home and took a part time job as a barista and started down this path to where I am now.
General Idea of the company.
Swan Song is a 100% independently owned and operated speciality coffee business. Our roastery studio based in Islington Mill Arts Club was built by my Dad and I over 3 weeks in November 2018.
My goal with Swan Song is to explore coffee in my own way and do thing’s that excite me. Pop up coffee bars, delivering high quality training, consultancy, roasting, cafes etc. I want to try take a creative approach whilst being as ethical, transparent and flexible to the needs of the people who gravitative towards the work I do. It would be great to grow our local community ties in Salford where I live and working on collaborative projects with other like minded people.
