An independent coffee outlet and a Michelin star east London restaurant are among five London businesses named in the top ten UK’s coolest brands.
Monmouth Coffee Company and Brat find themselves on the annual Coolbrands list for the first time alongside other capital favourites The Tate, The Barbican and Ottolenghi’s deli.
The former began roasting their own beans and selling coffee in 1978 from the basement of a shop in Monmouth Street, Covent Garden.
In 2007, they opened another shop in Borough Market and having outgrown the basement moved their roasting operation to Bermondsey where five railway arches have been converted into a roasting, tasting and office space.
The creation of Welsh chef Tomos Parry, Brat in Shoreditch takes its name from the old English term for turbot.
Offering a mix of Basque inspired dishes cooked over charcoal and wood, Brat opened in 2018 and already holds a Michelin star.
Launched in 2001 and returning after a four-year hiatus, the CoolBrands list identifies and pays tribute to Britain’s coolest brands and includes established leaders and new entrepreneurial ventures.
The winners were chosen from 1,540 brands across 72 sectors and were voted on by an independent and voluntary council of experts and influencers.
Damon Segal, CoolBrands chief executive, said: “Coolness is one of those concepts that’s hard to define, and it’s also a trait that most brands would love to have.
“The emerging framework of cool focuses on creating credibility, excitement, and authenticity centred around the core values for brands in the digital age, this guided us in our process.
“Some brands are timeless, as generation after generation falls in love with them, and others are new contenders that strike the right note.”
