Award for Baffle Haus in Pontypool, co-owned by George North

Baffle Haus in Pontypool was named third in the top 10 of the inaugural Grounds of Innovation Awards from BRITA Professional, a tribute to the UK’s vibrant café culture and the creativity born out of coffee shops.

Baffle Haus was born first as an Instagram page in 2015 started by friends Sam Daymond and cricketer Andrew Salter.

Social media enabled them to connect with both national and international brands, as well as like-minded people who lived life on two wheels. A variety of collaborations and networking opportunities saw the Baffle brand gather some momentum.

Baffle Haus has gone from strength to strength since its inception on Instagram in 2015 (Image: Baffle Haus)

The team has a ‘Share the Ride’ motto, which means they are always passionate about being more than just an online community.

The main catalyst for growing Baffle Culture was taking part in the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride; where a group of mates, riders, and subsequently business partners bonded over bikes.

As a business it kept growing until in March 2021 when they opened their shutter for takeaway coffee, and the third-placed ranking at these awards proves it just keeps on growing.

They opened their retail space in November 2021, providing customers with a one-to-one shopping experience, and followed that up by opening their kitchen in September 2022 with three full-time chefs serving locally sourced, fast-casual style food.

The most recent development has been their meeting rooms, which opened officially in February this year and provides the community with a co-working space and local businesses somewhere to host meetings and training days.

The team are thrilled to have come in the top 10 most innovative coffee shops in the UK (Image: Baffle Haus)

Mr Daymond said: “As I look back on the last two years and reflect on the journey it is incredible to see this little takeaway coffee spot grow into the destination we have now, and I couldn't be more grateful for all of our customers.

“We had a clear ambition to grow the business to a place where we could offer cooked food that matched the quality of coffee as well as offering apparel and technical gear that you can typically only find online.

“Naturally, it has taken time and reinvesting all profits into the business, but we are now incredibly proud of where Baffle Haus is now.”

Mr Daymond continued: “We couldn't be more pleased with being placed in the top three most innovative cafes in the UK. Baffle Haus's foundations have been built around the petrolhead community which thrives on innovation.

“Our visitors see their mode of transport as an extension of themselves and use this as a way of expressing style and creativity. It has become a place where people visit to showcase their latest modifications to their pride and joys, be it a new paint scheme or set of mirrors.

“Our fantastic community makes Baffle Haus such a special place and we're excited to share this award with them!”