Railway arches are a stalwart sight in Manchester, so much so that they’re practically an appendage. This can sometimes mean that we overlook these feats of engineering, driving straight under them, rushing up steps to get on a train running along them, never particularly stopping to admire the characteristic architecture that makes our city what it is. Something else we should admire in Manchester is our expertise when it comes to making a good cup of coffee, so when it comes to a coffee shop nestled under a railway arch, you can’t really get more Manc − enter: ManCoCo.
Standing for ‘Manchester Coffee Company‘, ManCoCo has been hidden in plain sight under the arches on Hewitt Street, Castlefield, for over 10 years, with its own dedicated roastery onsite and cosy yet industrial coffee shop to enjoy the goods.
ManCoCo specialises in hand roasting speciality coffees from around the world in the heart of Manchester. The team is dedicated to their speciality coffees and creating exclusive, small batch blends for customers to enjoy, purchasing the finest sustainable, ethically sourced speciality grade Arabica green coffee beans. All of the coffees at ManCoCo are sourced from identifiable single origin farms, estates or small farm cooperatives, right to the cup in the coffee shop, which is particularly important both in terms of sustainability and fair trade, alongside identifying which beans and blends you like.
ManCoCo freshly roasts and serves that speciality coffee in the Artisan Coffee Bar, but you can also pop into the roastery yourself and buy bags of beans and ground coffee to take home − and trust us when we say, it’s truly the best. Coffee choices span the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, and Africa, in addition to ManCoCo’s very own special blends, including the Manchester and Espresso blends.
Once you’re done enjoying the carefully renovated Coffee Bar interior at ManCoCo, complete with iconic Manc prints, including ManCoCo’s own commissioned piece, available as postcards to resemble a neon sign on the wall, you can learn how to make your favourite coffee next door with the brand new Barista School.
Whether you’re a fiend for a cappuccino or flat white, love a simple latte, or prefer it black or Americano, you can learn all there is to know about the ManCoCo way. All skill levels are welcome and the small class sizes mean you’ll get bags of one-on-one time with friendly and engaging trainer Dan.
ManCoCo currently offers:
- Introduction to Coffee Brewing (£60)
- Exploring Espresso (£70)
- Latte Art Skills (£80)
E-mail Dan on contact@mancoco.co.uk to find out more, or ask to see him next time you’re in for a coffee, if you’re interested.
As part of ManCoCo’s commitment to transparency, the team shares as much as possible on their Instagram, and you can read more about the coffee here.
ManCoCo is a true gem in Manchester’s coffee scene, and we can see great things coming from this little roastery under the arches. The trailblazing team has already brought out a mind-blowing iced coffee like no other, which includes tonic, orange and double espresso − which sounds incredible − and we can’t wait to see (and taste) what’s next.
📍 Find ManCoCo Coffee Bar & Roastery at 84−85 Hewitt Street, Manchester M15 4GB.