British Airways is expanding its partnership with London-based coffee brand Grind to bring a bespoke coffee blend to the skies, specially crafted to serve the perfect cup at 35,000ft.
The specially curated blend will be served across British Airways’ Club Europe (short‑haul business class) and Club World (long‑haul business class) cabins. The blend has been co-created by Tim Jackson, British Airways’ Master of Wine, who oversees the airline’s full complimentary drinks portfolio and Grind’s Head of Coffee, Howard Gill.
The roast has been carefully made from an equal trio of Brazilian estates, and the smoky blend delivers a rich, full-bodied flavour in every cup. Using specialty-grade Arabica beans, it offers a smooth, dark-roasted cup with notes of dark chocolate, hazelnut, and toasted pecan that provide great flavour.
Customers travelling in First will be offered Grind’s popular dark roast espresso‑based coffee, prepared to their preference using either Grind’s signature house blend or decaffeinated pods. This dark roast blend complete with notes of chocolate, almond, and caramel will also be available throughout British Airways' UK lounges, giving customers the complete bean to brew experience. In the lounge, customers will be able to choose from a variety of self-serve barista-style coffee options.
Tim Jackson, British Airways’ Master of Wine, said: “We’re proud to be the first airline to serve Grind in the skies and take our partnership further by bringing this Shoreditch-born favourite to millions of customers travelling to more than 200 destinations worldwide.
“The dark roast blends have been carefully selected to suit every stage of the journey, whether that’s a welcome caffeine boost while working in our lounges, awakening the senses in the air, or offering a comforting cup ahead of landing. It’s another step in championing British quality as we continue to elevate our beverage portfolio, with more to come as part of our multi-million-pound investment this year.”
David Abrahamovitch, Founder and CEO of Grind, said: “We are incredibly proud to extend our partnership with British Airways, an iconic British brand that represents the very best of British quality and service - values that are deeply important to us as a fellow London-born, British brand. For Grind to go from a single café in Shoreditch to the premium coffee partner for British Airways globally in a little over a decade is a huge moment for our team. We’ve had an incredible two years on board European flights already, and we hope that British Airways customers in lounges and on board long-haul flights will love the new blends we have created just as much."
Building on the success of British Airways’ existing buy-on-board partnership with Grind, customers travelling in Euro Traveller (short-haul economy) can continue to enjoy a wide range of Grind products available to purchase through the airline’s High Life Café on board every short-haul flight. These include Iced Caramel Latte, Flat White, Black Coffee and Decaf Black Coffee.
