In this episode of the London Coffee Podcast, we sit down with Xiao Ye and Louis, the founders of Simmos Coffee in Hackney Wick, to talk about the unlikely journey from two creative-industry backgrounds to running one of London’s most loved independent coffee shops.
We talk about following gut instinct, finding your place in London’s coffee scene, building a genuine community, creating a sustainable workplace, and why they’re more interested in making one great coffee shop than opening ten. We also dive into their approach to coffee, seasonal drinks, Asian influences, music, creativity, and what it really takes to build a small business from the ground up.
A conversation about coffee, creativity, people — and the dream of building something that can last.