ONE of Cornwall’s leading coffee manufacturers welcomed a member of the Royal family last week to highlight the importance of sustainable coffee.

Origin Coffee and Roastery based in Porthleven, was one of the three Cornish businesses visited by HRH the Princess Royal on Wednesday (October 4).

HRH Princess Royal arrived at Porthleven Football Club on Wednesday afternoon via helicopter and was then taken to Origin where she met its founder, Tom Sobey along with other members of staff.  

Falmouth Packet: HRH The Princess Royal meets Origin founder, Tom Sobey HRH The Princess Royal meets Origin founder, Tom Sobey (Image: Origin)Tom then showed the Princess Royal around the premises including a tour of the roastery where the award-winning coffee is produced.  

Following her visit, Origin founder, Tom Sobey told the Packet: “It was an honour to host Princess Anne.

“As a Cornish business which has been operating for almost 20 years, I was proud to showcase what Origin is all about to introduce HRH to all the amazing people who work here and make our company what it is.”

Falmouth Packet: The Princess Royal is shown some of the roastery equipment at Origin The Princess Royal is shown some of the roastery equipment at Origin (Image: Origin)This year, Origin was named one of the top-growing companies in the FEBE Growth 100 list for its significant sales, revenue, and profit against a backdrop of unprecedented economic challenges, and last year was honoured by the late queen for being one among the best in the country with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

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As well as her visit to Origin, HRH also visited the Camborne School of Mines at Tremough Campus Penryn and the multi-award-winning free-range egg producer, St. Ewe Free Range Eggs to open its new grading and packing centre.

Falmouth Packet: Princess Anne takes a look around the roastery machinery Princess Anne takes a look around the roastery machinery (Image: Origin)Bex Tonks, CEO of St Ewe Free Range Eggs said: "We are honoured to have had HRH The Princess Royal officially open our Packing Centre, and hope that it will demonstrate how our British family business supports other family farms around the UK. If it wasn’t for their dedication to farming and the hard work of our whole team, St. Ewe Free Range Eggs wouldn’t be where they are today.”

"British farmers play such an important role in nurturing the nation's food system, as well as delivering a wide range of environmental and rural community benefits which span well beyond the farm gates. Supporting British has never been so important, and we feel incredibly proud to be part of this magnificent industry. 

For more information on Origin, visit https://www.origincoffee.co.uk/.