Ellie Peng

In my personal life, coffee also plays a big part in my identity. I spend most of my mornings either brewing myself a cup or at a coffee shop; my favourite drink of the last year has been the 'Kahawa' Kenyan batch brew at JCT, both for its delicious flavour and the friendliness of the baristas. Now having moved back to London, I'm hoping to find a similarly welcoming community (from the other side of the bar) which I hope my new position will provide.

I have experience working as a barista (and bookseller) at the independent cafe & bookshop, Gulp Fiction in Oxford. During the year I worked there, in addition to learning how to make espresso based drinks, I also picked up invaluable hospitality skills from constantly engaging actively with customers in recommending and selling books. The dual nature of my role required flexibility and quick decision making, but also brought an additional sociability to my work that I found fulfilling and exciting.

When I joined Gulp Fiction, the business was under a year old which meant I was often working alone and had to exercise a great deal of resilience in balancing all of the tasks at hand. From my experience at Gulp, I was able to foster a strong community to whom I am still connected to.

I have just graduated from the University of Oxford with a BA in Law. I'm now moving back to London & keen to continue working in the coffee industry, having found a love of speciality coffee & cafe culture during my time as a student in Oxford.