There are certain projects that quietly shape who you become — ones that might not seem like the biggest at the time, but end up laying the foundation for everything that follows. For us at Ground Coffee Society, Queen’s was one of those.

Back in 2017, when we were first invited by Absolute Taste to get involved with the Queen’s Tennis Championships, coffee was still very much an afterthought. The event was already known for its exceptional food and drinks service — champagne, cocktails, fine dining. But coffee? It barely got a mention.

This was our first real test. A chance to prove that specialty coffee had a place at major events. That you could take the quality and care of a local independent café and scale it to a high-volume, fast-paced, premium environment — without compromising on taste, speed, or budget.

We approached it with one goal: prove it could be done.

We built out a small but efficient setup, implemented simple systems to streamline service, trained the team carefully, and obsessively focused on quality and consistency. And it worked. 2017 was a breakthrough. It showed Absolute Taste, and the event organisers, that specialty coffee could hold its own alongside the best food and drink offerings on site.

Since then, Queen’s has become a benchmark for what we can achieve when trust, consistency, and attention to detail align. Year after year, our footprint at the event has grown. Sales have increased. The coffee budget has gone up. And so has the ambition.

It hasn’t just been about serving more coffee — it’s been about raising the standard across the board. Better machines. Better baristas. Better systems. And a better experience for everyone — whether they’re a player, a VIP guest, or a member of the general public grabbing a flat white before the next match.

Today, we support four major LTA grass court events with Absolute Taste:

• Rothesay Nottingham Open

• Rothesay Birmingham Open

• The Queen’s Tennis Championships

• Rothesay International Eastbourne

Across these four tournaments, we now supply:

• Over 30 coffee machines

• A team of 60 trained baristas

• More than 4 tonnes of coffee

Each event has its own character, its own challenges, and its own audience — but the mission stays the same: deliver outstanding coffee, fast, with no compromises.

We are incredibly proud to have built this program with Absolute Taste — proud of the trust they’ve put in us, and proud of what we’ve delivered in return. What started as a small experiment in 2017 has grown into a cornerstone partnership across some of the UK’s most prestigious sporting events.

The Queen’s Tennis Championships will always be a turning point for us — the first time we stepped into the spotlight and showed what was possible.

And now, like the players on court, we’re here to keep pushing forward.

We’re not just serving coffee. We’re helping reshape the experience.