Who we are

Our Story

How it began

It started with a simple frustration.

There are plenty of people who have the drive and determination to build something of their own but not the capital to start. Too often, that’s where the ambition ends. Bless Start exists to close that gap. As a social enterprise, we remove the financial barrier to business ownership and put people in charge of something that’s genuinely theirs.

Opportunity

The biggest barrier to starting a business is finance. Removing that barrier is the whole point.

Ownership

Everyone deserves a shot at something of their own. Operators run their own unit, not a job.

Craft

UK-roasted, own-brand machines, house blend. The coffee has to stand up on its own.

Community

Clubs, schools, festivals, sponsorships. Where the trailers go, they stick around.

Mission

Reduce the barriers to business ownership and create meaningful opportunity.

Vision

Become the UK’s leading social-enterprise network for mobile coffee.

Founding to today

The story so far.

Chapter 01 — April 2025

Where it began

Bless Start began as a small project at Surrey Business School with a bigger purpose: to use coffee to create opportunities for people.

Chapter 02 — 8 May 2025

Taking the idea into the world

Bless Start held a public coffee pop-up at the University of Surrey, the place where the original idea had taken shape. Coffee, community and purpose came together for the first time.

Chapter 03 — Summer 2025

Coffee meets the community

Bless Start travelled to schools, sporting events and festivals, serving at Cobham Free School, Night of Thunder, Field of Fitness and Titsey Festival all in one summer.

Chapter 04 — 8 September 2025

The first entrepreneur takes the wheel

Our first coffee trailer opened at Canada Water. Shinobu became the first entrepreneur to operate a Bless Start trailer, turning our social mission from an idea into somebody’s real business.

Chapter 05 — Autumn 2025

Reaching a wider audience

Bless Start exhibited at the National Franchise Exhibition in Birmingham and continued meeting communities through boxing events, Hawks Hockey, the LSST Careers Fair, the Autumn Harvest at St Katharine Docks and the London College of Contemporary Arts.

Chapter 06 — March–April 2026

Two cafés open their doors

Our first café opened inside Devon House on St Katharine’s Way on 9 March. International House followed on 7 April, giving Bless Start two permanent homes beside Tower Bridge.

Chapter 07 — May–July 2026

New partners and greater reach

We exhibited at the London Coffee Festival and opened a new partnership location at the University of West London, bringing Bless Start coffee and its mission to new communities.

Today, and next

More people getting their start

Bless Start now brings together speciality coffee, mobile units, cafés, professional equipment, training and ongoing business support. The next chapter is about helping more people begin, and seeing the first operators grow from a mobile cart into a permanent shop of their own.