Coffee Snapshots | Tom (& John) – Co-directors of Metronome Coffee & Wine

Our Coffee Shop Snapshot series showcases the people who make the coffee industry tick, and shares stories & insights from coffee shop owners, baristas, roasters & more.

Meet Tom (& John), founders & co-directors of Metronome Coffee & Wine Bar in Morden, South London.

How did you get started in the coffee industry, and what did you do before?

I had just graduated from university and was looking to pursue a career in music – playing drums and writing music mainly. I got a job at my local coffee shop, Metronome, and just fell in love with the place.

I really got into cafe culture during my time in Sheffield where there were so many indie spots doing coffee right !

Now I try to make Metronome feel like the spots I loved in Sheffield ; great coffee, great people, giving back to the community.

Where do you source your coffee from and why did you choose it?

We get our coffee from Chimney Fire Coffee Roasters who are based in Surrey. We originally partnered with them as a guest roaster and just enjoyed their approach to coffee and how they manage their roasting operations. We got to partner with them in supplying a lovely single origin from Guatemala – a farm they started a direct relationship with. So it meant a lot as a small coffee shop to contribute to something like that in a meaningful way.

The coffee itself is a standout for us – works great as a filter and as an espresso if we pay attention to all the fine details of the recipe. We spent months messing round with it and testing different recipes to make sure it was the one for us.

What makes your coffee shop stand out?

Some coffee shops prioritise their coffee and can then lack the community side of things and other vice versa – it is tricky to do both and it all just depends on the aim.

We want to standout as a coffee shop for our product – but are also desperate to provide something good for our community.

Me and John (co-director) both grew up in Morden and so are passionate to provide things that we would have wanted in our hometown when we were growing up as well as now. Great coffee, a safe space to meet with friends or just have some down time. We also wanted to create a space that can facilitate other amazing initiatives such as Alzheimer’s Society who host a Memory Cafe and Third Space Ministries who host a free listening service for those who need to be heard.

We now have gone further and have extended our opening hours til late offering a Natural Wine bar as well as a varied events schedule. Lots of great wine, music, and artists all in our small space in Morden.

How did you choose your brand/shop name?

John chose that before I joined the team – I believe it has something to do with the recording studio we’re connected to.

What’s your coffee of choice?

I am very boring and will normally go for a black filter – we currently have Scenery Coffee Roasters on as guest and they have a great Brazilian on. Equally I’m loving an Ethiopia from Chimney Fire at home.