Kemptown or Coffeetown?

Kemptown or coffeetown? Brighton’s bohemian district, Kemptown, has seen an influx of independently run coffeehouses in recent years, all battling out for the city’s coffee market. Many of these local business’ have to compete with well-known high street brands in a saturated market. How difficult is this and how do they do it?

We spoke to the owner of one of St. James’ Street’s archetypal coffeehouses, Red Roaster, and gauged their perspective on this struggle, as well as trying to identify the reasons for the rising coffee culture in the area. We also explore what the future holds for Brighton’s coffee market and what this could mean for independent coffee shops. Why is Brighton such a hotbed for coffee culture?

“I guess that people are moving away from alcoholic drinks,” said one coffee fanatic we spoke to. He went on to elaborate, identifying that young people are more interested in exploring coffee shops rather than bars, which was a more prominent social location in previous eras.

We concluded by pondering whether this trend will continue, how far it will expand and what will be the next cultural phenomenon in Kemptown and Brighton?

Sussex University students Alfie and Alex report.