10 June 2019 
Scott Murdoch, ICT Support Officer
The University of Exeter Catering and Retail Services team have launched their own bespoke coffee brand.
BARiSCA Coffee Co. represents a premium range of products and Fairtrade coffee roasts, including a unique blend designed exclusively for the Russell Group member university.
The result of an aspirational goal to raise the coffee scene on the Exeter campuses, BARiSCA was created earlier this year as a unique brand for the University community to call its own.
The team wanted to provide a variety of coffee which both resonates with customers and reflects the values of the University - an ambitious product which, through collaboration, brings the impact of a quality and bespoke Fairtrade product to customers.
Working closely with a local artisan coffee roaster, the team developed the first of a planned series of premium blends. Named UoE 2019, the Fairtrade blend can be enjoyed by customers on campus by the cup, or at home with packs of the whole and ground beans forming part of the exclusive BARiSCA Coffee Co. retail offer.
Director of Catering & Retail Services, Simon Law, said:
“Through BARiSCA we aim to build a loyal and engaged brand community on campus. First and foremost, this begins with our premium coffee blend, but in time we envisage that BARiSCA will evolve with future product development. We want our customers to engage with the brand and to own it - in essence we want to encourage meaningful conversations to take place around our coffee, through our creative and relaxed environments. We believe that the BARiSCA experience will be truly unique on campus.”
The name BARiSCA itself is a clever fusion of classic meets modern. Isca makes reference to the Roman name for ‘Exeter’, while paying homage to the University’s team of baristas, brewing the range of hot and cold beverages under the overarching BARiSCA Coffee Co. brand.
This is just the start of the journey for BARiSCA. Future plans for the brand include, among other things, bespoke merchandise such as sustainable KeepCups, adding to the University of Exeter branded stock which is already a popular choice on campus.
Seasonal products like iced coffee and ice cream are also set to be introduced and fresh on the scene is BARiSCA’s very own coffee cart, a one-stop shop delivering the University’s unique coffee direct to the customer.
