Published at 11:10, Tuesday, 04 December 2012

A CARTMEL coffee shop has been awarded with an accolade that is the ‘Michelin star’ of the coffee industry.

FULL OF BEANS: Phaedra and Paul Settle from Cartmel Coffee receiving their Four-Cup National Accreditation in the Beverage Standards Association annual awards from Richard Scorer, left, from 3M Water Filtration, award sponsor

Cartmel Coffee picked up the Four-Cup National Accreditation in the Beverage Standards Association (BSA) annual Awards – the Michelin stars of the coffee industry.

Winning the Four-Cup National Accreditation means the coffee shop is “exceptional” in terms of customer service and ambience.

Through these awards, the BSA has introduced a UK-wide national grading scheme in beverages from one to five cups, with four meaning “exceptional”.

Paul and Phaedra Settle, who run Cartmel Coffee, received a certificate and special BSA window stickers for the Four Cup Accreditation which will be displayed on the doors or windows of the outlet to show the general public that the outlet is “exceptional”.

He said: “I’m over the moon, this is a fantastic achievement.”

Ranald Paterson, chairman of the judges, says, “We awarded just 17 outlets nationally a four-cup grading.

“Each has different features and were judged to exactly the same criteria as the five-cup winners.

“The reason they achieved four cups instead of five cups may mean one poor drink out of three judged or failure to promote beverages well on menus, quality of toilets, staff specialist knowledge, size of foam bubbles on cappuccino.

“These were all judged and might have been the difference between the five-cup and the four-cup gradings.

“These are small factors, which on another day or next year could mean the difference between four and five-cup grading.

“Every venue judged was a winner in some way.”

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