Simpson has partnered with The Coffee Mod, a Suffolk-based, Wiggins-inspired, blender of beans to craft 65 Sans Sebastián, a richly-flavoured coffee that is the ideal pre or post ride perk.
In conversation with Simpson, The Coffee Mod – aka Gav Bevan – talks pedals, percolators and parkas, the unique mission statement behind his business, taking on the high street coffee chains, and explains the origins of the 65 Sans Sebastián collaboration.
You’re a cyclist yourself, how important is cycling to you?
I have been cycling since I was a little kid, but I am not very good at it. I do a mixture of road cycling and mountain biking. I go to Spain once a year and cycle with a group of friends, near Alicante. I’ve got a few too many bikes, like most cyclists have.
Coffee hasn’t always been your livelihood – how did you come into the business?
I work in the public sector and I enjoy helping people – putting a smile on their face. About six years ago I was working hard, grabbing as much overtime as I could to make ends meet. I remember one of my friends saying to me: ‘is this going to be your legacy, or do you want your kids to remember their dad being home at bedtime?’ That was quite a poignant moment, and the next five years I gathered as much overtime as I could to save for this little idea that one day I would buy a little coffee van and do my own thing.
After working a few 18-hour days last year I thought to myself: ‘I have missed my family for a whole week now’. That was when I said to my wife that I was going to put all of my extra efforts into something for myself.
In February, I found this coffee van down in Essex, a little Piaggio number that is really cool. I just bought it, but I had no idea what to do with it.
How did The Coffee Mod business develop?
I started off selling around 20 single origin beans. Then I developed my own Coffee Mod blend, with the roasters, it is all very unique, very good Grade A type coffee.
The motto is that it should be priced for the people. Some brands charge a very high price, as if it is an exclusive coffee, but in reality it is not that good.
I have the coffee roasted once a week, I bring it home, go to my shed, I get the orders, and I either hand deliver it in Ipswich or as far as Felixstowe, or I will send it out across the country – my biggest customer-base is in Scotland, I post more there than anywhere else.
What is the inspiration for The Coffee Mod theme?
That goes alongside growing up in the nineties with Oasis, The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, bands like that. I like mod clothing. I am a big fan of Paul Weller, Liam Gallagher, Bradley Wiggins. I make it quite clear to people that although I have got the mod badge as my logo – that is a bean, it is not about being a mod. It is about being you. Doing what you want. If you want to be different, be different.
I’m not the typical looking mod, but I put my own spin on it. And that’s what it’s all about, just being you. I did think that the mod thing might alienate some people, but it’s about what you want to do.
65 Sans Sebastián is a unique blend you have put together for Simpson, what can people expect?
It is a very unique blend, that couldn’t be replicated anywhere. There are four Ethiopian beans, which come from certain farms in Ethiopia that very few people have access to.
It is smooth, it has a lovely earthy taste, and there is no bitterness to it whatsoever. If you are making it properly, using good quality brewing methods and using the proper instructions, the coffee shines through.
I always say that my coffee is handled and made with love.
What does the future hold?
We’ve spoken about doing a range of coffee to go in line with the Grand Tours next year – the Tour De France, the Giro and the Vuelta. I’ve also been approached by a sports company to do two coffees with them, one of them will be high caffeine coffee, a bit of a kick to get working out in the morning.
I want to stay modest, I want to keep it nice and steady. If I can get to a point where I can sustain the business monthly and support my family, then perhaps I’ll think about giving this a punt full time.