Buying coffee for your business: how it works

You do not need a trade account, a minimum order or a long conversation to buy coffee from us for your business. Anyone can order from the website, and a trade account adds to that rather than replacing it. This guide sets out how it usually works, so you know what to expect before you get in touch.

Who we work with

Cafés, restaurants, hotels, golf clubs, bars and patisseries that serve coffee; delicatessens and shops that sell it for customers to take home; and offices and workplaces that want better coffee for their teams and guests. For venues and retailers the offer is built around Caffè Vergnano, whose full range we source directly as an authorised UK distributor. For workplaces we can also recommend coffee from our wider range — beans, ground coffee and capsules — to suit the way you already make it.

Do you need a trade account?

Not to begin. The catalogue, the public prices and the quantity discounts are open to everyone, and any business can order online at those prices. An approved trade account adds your account pricing once you are signed in, and it is needed before any agreed samples are dispatched.

Any registered UK business can apply, including a newly registered business or a sole trader; VAT registration is not required. Accounts are usually opened within one to two working days. You receive an email when the application arrives and another when the account is active; if we need more detail, we will get in touch. Larger volumes are quoted individually. Apply for a trade account.

Is there a minimum order?

No. Ordering by the case is the more economical way to buy — a case is often six units, though it varies by product and we confirm it for each one — and mixed cases can be agreed. Smaller orders are welcome; below the free-delivery threshold they carry the delivery cost calculated at checkout.

Trying the coffee first

Samples are agreed individually after a first conversation, once we know which coffee is worth putting in front of you. They are dispatched to an approved trade account with a delivery address, with availability and terms confirmed each time. Tell us about your business and we can also help choose the coffee and the format, and estimate the cost of the coffee alone per serving from its price and an agreed dose.

How to order

Online at any time, by email to cs@cremaaroma.shop, with a purchase order, or by telephone on 01506 237 555 — the office is usually available Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm. Signed-in customers can repeat a previous order from their account history, and one account can hold several delivery addresses. If you know roughly how much coffee you will need over the coming months, tell us: by arrangement we can hold a quantity of a standard product for you.

Products on the website that are out of stock carry a back-in-stock notification. Vergnano products that are not on the website can be ordered in specially — we order from Vergnano in Italy on a monthly cycle, so ask us about timing; special orders are paid in advance.

Paying and invoices

Orders are paid before dispatch, whichever way you order, unless a different arrangement has been agreed with us: online at the checkout, or for orders placed by phone or email, by card over the phone, a card payment link or bank transfer. Every order has its own invoice — on your account for online orders, by email for the rest. A purchase order is welcome; it does not change when payment is due.

Delivery and collection

In-stock orders paid before 3pm on a working day are dispatched the same day, public holidays excepted, and tracking is emailed automatically once the parcel is on its way. Orders placed through an approved trade account go by Parcelforce Next Working Day where that service is available; other orders take the delivery service chosen at checkout. The dispatch day and the delivery day are not the same thing, and the carrier’s timing is not something we can guarantee. Delivery is free on UK mainland orders over £59 including VAT; below that, the cost is calculated at checkout. Other UK areas and pallet deliveries are quoted individually — pallet quantities are usually delivered free, confirmed for each order. You can also collect from our Livingston base by arrangement. We do not ship outside the UK at present.

In-stock coffee is held, packed and dispatched from Livingston in Scotland. If an order arrives damaged or short, contact us quickly with the order details and photographs, and keep the packaging; the returns terms for business orders are in the FAQ.

Beyond the coffee

For venues and retailers, Caffè Vergnano merchandising is part of the conversation — branded cups and crockery, counter materials, signage, uniforms and retail displays. For businesses that buy regularly, many items may be provided at no charge, depending on volume, availability and what we agree; the current offer uses standard Caffè Vergnano branding. A licensed Caffè Vergnano café is a separate path: we can introduce your project to the brand, and nothing about approval, cost or timing is guaranteed. Merchandising is explained on the Coffee for Business page; for a licensed café, ask through the enquiry form there.

Where to start

Tell us about your business — what you do, how you use coffee and what you would like to achieve — and we will suggest the next step: samples, a starting order or further advice. The Coffee Finder for Business narrows the range by machine, volume and customers. How much coffee to order turns cups a day into a monthly quantity. The FAQ’s business chapter answers the short questions.

Reviewed 8 September 2026.