Former Costa barista finds that running a cafe is more his cup of tea
VENTURE VOTED ONE OF UK’S TOP BUSINESSES
A FORMER Costa Coffee barista who now runs his own cafe in West London is celebrating after being named one of the top 10 local businesses in the UK.
And it is no surprise considering it boasts a top-secret blend for its bestselling TAG Tea Latte and a queue that lines the street each weekend with customers wanting to sample its homemade baked goods.
TAG Drinks in Eastcote has been announced as one of the top ten local businesses in the UK, as part of Nextdoor’s Neighbourhood Faves Awards.
It is the first time Neighbourhood Faves has run in the UK and the winning businesses have all been voted for by neighbours in their local communities based on their contributions to their local areas and excellent services.
Hovig Yardim’s story from using his parents’ kitchen as a tea laboratory to owning TAG cafe, on the junction of North View and Field End Road in Eastcote, is out of the ordinary.
Nearly 15 years ago, the 35-yearold British-born Armenian dropped out in his final year at University College London because he decided “it wasn’t my, excuse the pun, cup of tea”.
A cafe owner who doesn’t like or drink coffee prefers the staff he’s hiring not have previous cafe experience, to teach them his craft.
The Pep Guardiola of baristaing, you could say?
Hovig said: “I teach them not just what to do but why we do things a certain way, the science behind coffee-making.”
When his mates at university
wanted to work from a cafe from time to time, Yardim would scoff, go home and make his own tea.
Having spent two-and-a-half years with a band after dropping out of university, Yardim got his first taste of working as a barista.
Then a few years down the line he joined Costa Coffee as a barista maestro.
He wanted to make a name for himself in the industry though and he began planning ahead and worked on developing the branding, colours and recipes for what we now know as TAG in Eastcote.
“Costa knew I was going to do my own thing but I don’t think they expected it to be this big,” he said.
Moving on from Costa, where he spent nearly two years, to launch his own brand, Yardim finally launched TAG with a small group of staff in January 2020 - only to be met with the Covid-19 pandemic within just over a month.
A period of hits and misses followed as TAG recovered from the most unconventional struggles that Yardim, like millions did not pre-empt.
If talent doesn’t work hard, hard work beats talent. Yardim and his team, now of nine, have worked tirelessly over the years and are rightly reaping the awards for their efforts.
“My staff, they’re everything - they’re the heart and soul of this place and what we’ve built here,” Yardim said.
Announced among the top 10 local businesses in the UK at the Nextdoor’s Neighbourhood Faves Awards, TAG boasts a wide-ranging menu, spearheaded by its Tea Latte that has become a favourite within the Eastcote community.
Yardim recently launched TAG’s Christmas collection, three of the five drinks of which were the making of his team.
He recalls the place being absolutely packed mid-afternoon on Thursday and Friday after a school parent shared the Christmas collection poster across their WhatsApp groups.
TAG’s values are embedded deep within their staff, who baked cookies for volunteers at the local NHS centre during the pandemic and donated £100 to a local library following a robbery.
“We look after each other, we look after our own,” Yardim added.
The cafe showcases eye-catching art work on the window walls, handmade by Yardim’s aunt - if further evidence was needed on just what it means to him.
In the next month, a vault downstairs from the cafe is being planned to help accommodate students wanting to work with a touch of aesthetic and jazz - alcohol being served in the evening could be an avenue that is explored.
Yardim plans to expand in further locations but admits “you should learn how to walk before you decide to run”.