The Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company has seen a huge increase in revenues as the nation turned to hot drinks to help nurse them through the lockdown.

The company, based in Pluckley, near Ashford, said transactions rose by 117% and revenues shot up by 138% over the last 12 months.

It says a survey it conducted revealed 22% of the UK are drinking more coffee now than ever before - with the South East behind only London in upping their intake.

In addition, the poll of 2,000 coffee drinkers revealed that while, in the past, they opted for popular supermarket brands such as Nescafe, Illy or Kenco, during the last year there has been a surge in independent suppliers and indie coffee brands.

Richard Smith, managing partner at the firm, explained: "This data really helps to highlight just how much coffee’s popularity has risen, not just in the past year but the previous five or even ten.

"It's great to see people paying more attention to independent brands as there are a lot more interesting coffee flavours outside of the supermarket. We are invested in bringing this to light - not just for us but for the industry as a whole.”

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