Coffee firm Coopers has shown its commitment to the burgeoning northern coffee market by sponsoring Cup North, the first major coffee festival to take place outside London.

The inaugural event, which started as a Kickstarter campaign, was held at the weekend in Salford, Manchester. The festival was established to showcase the best that the coffee industry has to offer – with a range of exhibitors and industry competitions taking place across the two days.

Alastair McElhoney, regional business manager for Coopers said: “There’s so much happening in the Northern coffee market, with the artisan coffee scene going from strength to strength in all the major cities and towns.

“As a local company, supporting the market in our region is extremely important to us and we’re really proud to be a part of making this event happen.”

For the event, Coopers, based at Clayton West, sourced some of the best coffees from plantations across the globe and served a unique single origin Nicaragua Finca El Bosque – one of just six bags available in the world.

It also conducted bespoke tastings and masterclasses for visitors. Coopers’ team of specialist baristas also showcased new expresso machines and coffee grinders.

Coopers supplies coffee, equipment, training, category management and more to independent businesses across the UK and is part of UCC Coffee UK & Ireland.