Wilko-Rista Coffee Shop
Wilkinson St's Own Barista Station....




Days can be long in Sheffield. The weather is unforgiving and streets are always congested. And for the entire city’s bustling streetway allure, for all of its history and motion, sometimes it can be just too overwhelming, too much to take without a few moments of calm. And for students eager to regroup and reflect after a long day of lectures without retreating to their halls of residents, such moments can be had at the closest coffee shop – for free.

Located at 15 Wilkinson Street, Wilko-Rista is a simple coffee shop that provides free coffee drinks to the local student community. Set up under a modest and serene environment, this coffee shop is the first of its kind to be built along the street and have been operated for 2 weeks, where I happen to be one of the founders.

The history of Wilko-Rista dates back to the time when me, my new flatmate Ahmad Khairuddin Abdullah (we call him Mr M), and the rest of my new flatmates were spring cleaning the house in June 2005. It came to cleaning the kitchen when we stumbled upon this awesome looking ‘Morphy Richards’ espresso machine hidden deep inside a cabinet. It was believed that the machine was once owned and left by the previous tenant 2 years ago. Me, being a very keen coffee drinker, along with Mr M who is an absolute coffee enthusiast excitedly took the machine for inspection and testing (while ignoring sceptical and dubious glances from the other guys).

To our delight, it brews coffee perfectly well, producing somewhat authentic, thick and savoury espresso with full flavour end. Despite its age, the machine didn’t require any work, apart from a thorough cleaning. It is a pump driven espresso and cappuccino coffee machine, with swivel steam-jet milk frother. Given its specification, the machine is perfect for making a wide range of espressos, café lattes and cappuccinos based coffee beverages.

But the excitement didn’t end there. It took a while before Mr M modestly revealed that he was professionally trained in the art of coffee making, and used to be a ‘Barista’ at Gloria Jean’s, Mount Kiara. We were all impressed. Well, that explains his talent and ability to brew and pour excellent coffee using the machine, not to mention having an outstanding knowledge in the field. No wonder.

Having the same passion for coffee, Mr M and I simultaneously came up with a coherent idea of providing quality coffee to our friends using a ‘coffee shop’ concept. We charge our customers nothing for the service; after all, we got the machine for free. Both of us are more motivated by the lust and madness for coffee – Mr M is addicted to making coffee drinks and can never stop until he can pull the perfect pour, while me, I can never get enough of coffee to drink and always in the pursuit of trying out all sorts of coffee blend. Hence, with a little capital invested from our own pockets for the coffee beans, Wilko-Rista was born.

Wilko-Rista offers espressos, café lattes and cappuccinos made from a wide range of coffee beans and blends. Currently the shop has a small stock of Pure Arabica Beans (Sumatran, Guatemalan Maragogype, Dark Roasted Italian, Continental Blend), flavoured coffee blends (Kenyan Cinnamon, South American Hazelnut, French Chicory) and a limited supply of cocoa powder for mocha lovers.

So far, customers have given good feedbacks and support to the shop. On average, the shop consumes up to 150grm of coffee beans a day, yielding around 15- 20 servings of regular espresso. One of the most regular customers, Mr Najmi, when asked why he likes the shop so much, replied: “Well, its all because of its friendly staff, unmatched drink quality and a service style that is casual and welcoming. But above all, it’s free!” Another customer, Juweng, said “I don’t really drink coffee, but since I live nearby, it’s really hard to resist the aroma from the ambient air. Besides, I really like to hang out there and socialise.”

At a very young age, Wilko-Rista has gained much popularity around the neighbourhood, and therefore we are expecting a very significant increase in “sales” by next semester. With the vision we have, it is hoped that the shop will continuously evolve and develop by introducing new products and customer services. Mr M and I have drawn out plans to acquire additional equipment and soon customers may enjoy chill-brewed coffee and ice blended coffee.

But will the coffee still be free by then? ……I seriously doubt it. But hey, its gonna be worth it!


**Some of you might think this is a joke and that we are poyo. But try visit our shop first, and see it for yourself....