Company: Narrative Coffee 
The Signature Drink: The Yunnan Bear

Describe your journey in the coffee industry so far including any notable career achievements to date 
I trained under US Coffee Master Yuko Inoue at Timberyard before its closure and have since gone on to help open seven coffee shops across the UK, taking them from inception to realisation. My biggest achievement, however, has been opening Narrative Coffee in Wales. After many years of opening coffee houses for others, studying and teaching coffee internationally, experiencing failures, gaining a deeper understanding of what these spaces mean—it's been a hell of a journey. 

What inspired you to pursue a career in coffee?
The fact that coffee can, philosophically, pair with anything as a supporting character is fascinating. I came to realise just how much a coffee shop could offer as a space for inspiration and innovation, not just for those who drank and talked there, but also for the owners and their staff.

How do you share your passion for coffee with others, whether within the industry or the wider community?
I built a coffee shop to achieve that. I work with as many roasters as I can to bring as much speciality-grade coffee to mid Wales as possible. Alongside that, I host events, music nights, and games nights. It's my life, and coffee is at the heart of it.

The Yunnan Bear by Sam Lunn: