Today's guest on The Coffee Life is another James (is everyone in the coffee industry called James?! Do you guys have a secret club??!) - This particular James is the founder of BubbleHead Barista, speaking of which, there will be a blog post all about his coffee in Febuary!
How are you?
I'm good thanks. Currently balancing working and home schooling due to the obvious. Normally have my wife around but running solo at home this week due to her exams.
What do you do for a living? / What is your company called?
I work for the Royal Navy as a Mine Clearance Diver. I've been in the Navy for the last 13.5 years (not that I'm counting).
I have also started up a company called Bubblehead Barista in 2020. This is my side project for now but when I leave the Navy will become full time.
How did Coronavirus affect your job during 2020?
Since Covid appeared it has slowed down many of my international exercises in 2020. For Bubblehead not much has changed. We were born during the pandemic so things were tailored around that. Only issue is we haven't been able to get out to events to meet people.
Did you have to change any aspect of your company to adapt to new regulations?
Not really. Only thing was the socially distanced deliveries we did but I have a loud voice so was able to chat to customers which was nice.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in the Coffee Industry in 2020?
Getting started.
How did you feel about the Coffee Industry in 2020?
I think it's amazing. So many friendly people all willing to offer help and assistance when needed. Just a good bunch of people. Can't wait to be able to meet in person.
What is something you have missed in the Coffee Industry in 2020?
Meeting like minded people at events. Jan 20, I went to my first tasting evening at Hideout Coffee and really enjoyed it. Then lockdown ruined that for the rest of the year.
How has Coronavirus/Lockdown affected your mental health?
I'm very lucky that it hasn't affected me or my family too much. We've had each other from the start and during summer time we have a garden to play in. We also have a small home gym so we were living large at the start. We still are but it's now cold outside and things are getting a little repetitive. But on the whole we're good at this end.
What are you looking forward to in 2021?
I think I might have mentioned it above, meeting people and attending events. I also really wanna start doing coffee courses. I've been speaking to a few people so hopefully I can start building some true knowledge.
Find James
Bubblehead Website - Click Here
Instagram - Click Here
Twitter - Click Here
