What’s cooking

This year’s edition of our Vacherin Barista Competition, Crush the Rush, brought another exciting opportunity to celebrate the talent of our baristas. Last Friday, we witnessed an incredible display of skill, precision, and control as our baristas poured coffees at speed. 

Last weekend the Vacherin team conquered Three Peaks challenge, capping a landmark year and 10 year partnership with Luminary Bakery. Our Three Peaks Challenge was more than just a climb, it was a celebration of purpose and teamwork.

This month, Vacherin proudly launched the first site in its Glass Plate Project - an exclusive collaboration with renowned ceramist Mark Ciavola, the creative force behind Glass Porcelain.

Head of Hospitality Stephen Humphries led 15 hungry Vacherin chefs on a West London pastry crawl, sampling some of the city’s finest croissants as part of our regular food innovation tours. Now in its second year, the famous Vacherin Croissant Crawl didn’t disappoint.

At Vacherin, innovation is at the heart of what we do  and nothing showcases our chefs’ creativity quite like Street Vacherin. This biannual competition challenges teams to dream up bold, original street food concepts, complete with branding, storytelling, and fully developed menus.

Last week, our chefs stepped out of the kitchen and into the wild at Bragenham Farm with the Burnt Chef Project. Forager and nutritionist Paul introduced us to wild sorrel, nettles, and edible fungi - ingredients that are hyper-local, nutrient-dense, and free from supply chain impact.

We are delighted to share that CH&CO generated £115 million in Social Value in 2024!

A real success story for CH&CO is our partnership with the social enterprise, Well Grounded, which unites our brands and has supported people into employment through coffee training programmes.

Some of Vacherin’s talented baristas joined our Head of Coffee, Marc Pierre Dietrich, for another Baristas Assemble. This time, a hands-on cupping session hosted last Friday by our friends at Caravela Coffee, Rory Gowan, and Rodolfo Borré.

Earlier this month, some of our chefs had the opportunity to visit Florette’s farm in Colchester, Essex for an inspiring look into the future of sustainable and innovative farming.

Celebrating excellence: Introducing our incredible Luis Sánchez, Catering Manager and 2025 Acorn Award winner.

Known as the "30 under 30", the prestigious Acorn Awards from the The Caterer celebrate the brightest rising stars in hospitality. This year, Luis was celebrated for his outstanding dedication and meaningful contribution.

Last Friday, saw us kick off our Vacherin Barista Academy at the La Marzocco centre for certificated training - and what a day it was! 

Nine brilliant baristas from across our sites came together for an interactive training session led by our Head of Coffee, Marc-Pierre Dietrich.

Earlier this month, we marked a meaningful milestone - celebrating 10 years of partnership with Luminary Bakery.

Over the past decade, we have proudly supported Luminary not just through collaborations and fundraising initiatives, but by offering meaningful work placements to graduates of their programme.