Ground Coffee Society opens its new cafe at St Mary’s Church in Putney this morning and everyone is invited.
The cafe opens at 9am today with £1 coffees all day to mark the occasion. The clergy will bless the new venture at 11am. Regular opening hours from Monday will be 8am to 4pm, Monday to Saturday.
The opening comes six weeks after Putney Pantry closed after 12 years serving the community.
Neighbourhood owners
Ground Coffee Society has deep roots in Putney. The company opened its first cafe on Lower Richmond Road in 2009 and built a chain of five coffee shops across London, including sites at Westfield, before selling up in 2020 when the owners planned to move overseas. That move never happened, and when the Lower Richmond Road site’s new owners went out of business, the landlord called them back.
The St Mary’s opportunity came through church connections. Dave and Tracey Dickinson already have ties to St Mary’s School and the wider parish, with one serving as churchwarden. When Putney Pantry’s Issa Cissokho decided to move on to pursue his dream of opening a Senegalese restaurant, the church approached Ground Coffee as potential partners.
“The whole idea is that this is going to be a community hub that supports the church, supports the community, supports the schools. We’re very aligned. It had to be the right partner for the church.”
The church said the cafe aims to be “a warm, inclusive place at the heart of the parish where great coffee, conversation, and community come together.”
The company has spent the years since 2020 building a substantial events business. Ground Coffee Society now provides coffee for some of the UK’s biggest sporting events, including The Open golf championship, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, and the Goodwood Festival of Speed. They also supply and roast coffee for other cafes through their Wandsworth Town roastery.
A warm welcome
The renovation has transformed the space. “We want to make it feel warm and cosy, so that people can sit here with laptops and work, have afternoon tea. The elderly groups, mum groups, whatever other groups. We want to make people feel seen and welcome.”
The design brings wood panelling and a cosier atmosphere to what was a slightly sterile space previously. The look matches their existing Lower Richmond Road cafe, which continues to operate under their team.
For food, they have partnered with Lockdown Bakehouse, the Wandsworth bakery chain. Fresh pastries, cakes and sweet treats will arrive daily, with toasted sandwiches also available. What won’t be on offer is the brunches and cooked breakfasts that Putney Pantry used to serve up.
The coffee, naturally, comes from the Ground Coffee roastery. The same beans served at Lower Richmond Road and at events serving tens of thousands of cups will now be available at the church by Putney Bridge.
The cafe joins an existing programme of community activities at St Mary’s, including language conversation groups and other regular gatherings. Opening hours and further details are available from Ground Coffee Society.
