bewiched the beginning

Our Story

Bewiched started in 2008 with a simple idea — build something consistent, done properly.

At the time, Matt Fountain was working as an Area Manager for a hospitality business. A trip to the USA planted the seed.

“I’d learned how to operate multi-site, but if I ever did it myself, it would start with one site and a long-term view.”

The original idea was a sandwich shop — inspired by a brand in the US called Wichcraft.

“It was an elevated version of something familiar. That’s what I wanted to bring back.”

The name Bewiched came from that — to delight and surprise — with a nod to the sandwich concept.

Coffee Changed Everything

Around the same time, the UK coffee market was shifting.

“You’d see people go to one place for coffee and another for food. It felt obvious — bring both together, but do them properly.”

That decision shaped everything that followed.

Before opening, Matt worked shifts as a barista in local coffee shops to learn the craft properly.

From there, the business invested in speciality coffee training with industry professionals — building a foundation around extraction, milk, and consistency that still sits at the core of how teams are trained today.

“If we were going to do coffee, it had to be done properly — not just served.”

Getting Started

The first site was funded through a mix of savings, redundancy money, and a bank that backed the plan when others didn’t.

“There were a few no’s along the way. In the end, we put everything into it and got started.”

Today

What started as a sandwich-led idea has evolved into something much bigger.

Coffee sits at the centre. Standards sit above everything.

“The ambition hasn’t changed — can we scale a business without lowering standards?”

That question still drives us.