Lake District-based coffee roastery, John Farrer & Co, swooped the second place prize in the prestigious World Coffee Innovation Awards.

The company showcased excellence at the international competition held at Caffè Culture, London on October 3.

The inaugural two-day event attracted over 3,500 industry professionals who had the chance to network, source cutting-edge coffee products and participate in a series of industry talks, competitions, and training sessions.

Nine award categories honoured the most innovative products within the coffee industry, featuring the likes of Coffee Capsule Innovation, Coffee Flavouring Innovation, Ready To Drink, and Sustainability Initiative.

Farrer & Co snagged an impressive second place in the Speciality Coffee Roaster category, beaten only by Big Island Coffee Roasters from Hawaii.

The awards recognise and applaud the remarkable innovation that the shortlisted companies have shown in the coffee sector over the past year.

This included finding new methods to enhance flavour and developing innovative packaging to lessen environmental impact.

Farrer’s General Manager, Rob Baines said: "It’s fantastic that our small roastery on the edge of the Lake District has been recognised with the second-place award.

"Obviously, we would have liked to have taken the top spot, but to lose out to one of the top international roasteries is credit to the hard work of every single member of the team.

"We all work incredibly hard to deliver quality coffee to every single one of customers and recognition like this shows that what we’re doing is appreciated both by those customers but also by those in the industry.’’

Dan Bunt, FoodBev’s marketing manager, said: “It has been a pleasure to announce this year’s winners, finalists and commended companies at Caffe Culture, I’ve had the pleasure to meet the incredible people behind the companies and hear first-hand about their success.

"I am truly looking forward to seeing all the shortlisted companies succeed in the future”.