More than 370 years after London’s first coffeehouses began bringing together merchants, entrepreneurs and thinkers over a cup of coffee, a new London business is drawing inspiration from that extraordinary heritage.
Thamesmith & Co, founded by City of London tour guide and entrepreneur Chris MacNeil and fourth-generation coffee roaster François Knopes, is preparing to launch a collection of three carefully selected coffees celebrating London’s history, enterprise and enduring coffee culture.
The company’s inaugural product, The Thamesmith Trio, contains three 90g tins of coffee, roasted and packed in London, each individually packaged to preserve freshness. The tins are presented together in a gift box accompanied by a single, folded newspaper-style sheet featuring stories from London’s coffeehouse history, designed to evoke the character of London’s historic newspapers.
Priced at £27.50, the collection is intended as a distinctive gift for individual coffee enthusiasts and connoisseurs, as well as an alternative to conventional corporate Christmas presents.
The inaugural production run will be limited, with advance orders now being accepted for availability from 30 November 2026. Individual customers and corporate buyers are encouraged to confirm their requirements early to secure an allocation ahead of the Christmas gifting season.
COFFEE, COMMERCE AND CONVERSATION
London’s coffeehouses played a remarkable role in the development of the capital’s commercial life.
From the arrival of coffee in the City in the 1650s, coffeehouses became places where merchants exchanged intelligence, investors discovered opportunities and London’s growing networks of trade and enterprise found new ways to connect.
Thamesmith & Co takes inspiration from this history, bringing the stories of London’s entrepreneurial past into a contemporary product.
“London’s coffeehouses didn’t create entrepreneurship, but they helped make an already entrepreneurial city work faster,” says co-founder Chris MacNeil.
“They brought people, ideas and capital together. That is a wonderfully relevant story today, particularly in a City that still thrives on connections and enterprise.
“We wanted to create something that was more than a bag of coffee. Thamesmith is a London story you can brew — something people can enjoy, give as a gift and talk about.”
A GIFT WITH A STORY TO TELL
The Thamesmith Trio has been developed with individual customers, corporate purchasers and premium retail environments in mind.
Its presentation combines freshly roasted speciality coffee with historical storytelling, offering an alternative to more conventional branded merchandise, chocolates and seasonal gift hampers.
For businesses, the collection is particularly suited to employee appreciation, client relationships, Christmas gifting and welcoming international visitors to London.
Thamesmith & Co is also seeking opportunities with premium hotel boutiques, museum gift shops and independent retailers, where a London-produced coffee collection with a distinctive historical narrative can appeal to visitors looking for something more meaningful than a conventional souvenir.
Co-founder François Knopes brings four generations of family coffee-roasting heritage and specialist expertise in coffee quality, sourcing, roasting and supply chain management to the venture, while MacNeil contributes historical research, storytelling and commercial development.
Together, they aim to create a brand in which the quality of the coffee and the stories surrounding it are equally important.
ROOTED IN LONDON, DESIGNED FOR SHARING
Thamesmith & Co’s inaugural collection will be roasted and packed in London and available from 30 November 2026, in time for the Christmas gifting season.
The company is engaging with London businesses, corporate gifting teams, independent retailers and organisations interested in celebrating the capital’s distinctive heritage.
The venture also reflects a broader ambition to connect London’s historical identity with modern entrepreneurial creativity.
“Coffee has always been a catalyst for conversation,” adds MacNeil. “If someone opens a Thamesmith gift, brews a cup and discovers something surprising about London, we’ve achieved something special.”
The Thamesmith Trio has a recommended retail price of £27.50. Advance orders are being accepted now, with availability from 30 November 2026.
Further information and advance orders: https://thamesmith.co.uk