Elaine Higginson, managing director of UCC Coffee UK & Ireland, has celebrated 20 years at the total coffee solution specialist (formerly First Choice Coffee and United Coffee).
Elaine joined First Choice Coffee on 11 February 1996, having been headhunted from competitor Bewley’s, with an undeniable passion for quality coffee and a unique drive to revolutionise the industry. Today she is responsible for the UK division of one of the world’s top five independent coffee companies, 480 employees and behind 20 billion cups of coffee each year.
Elaine commented: “The last 20 years has been an exciting time for the industry. We’ve seen the explosion of the high street coffee chain, astonishing innovation and quality coffee being delivered to the masses at an affordable price. The market has grown tenfold since I joined the business, but by creating unique coffee solutions we’ve helped our customers outperform it and grow faster than anyone else.”
In other news, UCC has challenged students to design new packaging for its most popular out of home coffee range – Grand Café. The creative brief asks students and recent graduates to visually rethink and revitalise the look and feel of the coffee brand, submitting a design that is in line with the strong ethical credentials of the coffee range.
