Key Points
- Liverpool-based Joe Black Coffee Roasters has entered a Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation (CVL) after a trading history dating back to 1950.
- The company supplied coffee to cafés, restaurants, hotels and workplaces across the UK.
- Olivia Beeson reported in the Mirror on 24 September 2026 that the long-established coffee business had entered liquidation after 76 years.
- Joe Black Coffee Roasters traces its origins to Bellews & Co Merchants, which began operating in Liverpool in 1950.
- The company, currently registered as Joe Black Coffee Roasters Ltd, company number 13641409, was incorporated in September 2021, despite the wider business tracing its history back to 1950.
- Joe Black’s services extended beyond coffee supplies to include coffee machinery, servicing and training for business customers.
- Adam Price and Lane Bednash of CMB Partners UK Limited were appointed as joint liquidators in connection with the CVL. The formal insolvency record was published in September 2026.
- The company’s last filed accounts, covering the year to 30 September 2024, showed £19,000 in total assets and net liabilities of £101,000, according to a Gazette-derived insolvency record.
- Joe Black Coffee Roasters was contacted for comment by the Mirror, according to Olivia Beeson’s report.
- The closure brings an end to a business with more than seven decades of history in the coffee trade, although the registered company itself dates from 2021.
What happened to Joe Black Coffee Roasters?
Liverpool-based Joe Black Coffee Roasters has entered a Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation after a business history stretching back to 1950, ending more than seven decades of trading connected with the city’s coffee industry.
As reported by Olivia Beeson of the Mirror on 24 September 2026, Joe Black Coffee Roasters has plunged into liquidation after 76 years. Beeson reported that the Liverpool-based company supplied coffee to businesses throughout the UK, including restaurants, cafés, hotels and workplaces.
The report places the business’s origins in 1950, although it also notes that the company currently registered with Companies House was incorporated in 2021. This distinction is important when describing the company’s 76-year history: the trading story dates back to 1950, while the present registered corporate entity is considerably newer.
The formal insolvency record identifies Joe Black Coffee Roasters Ltd, company number 13641409, as having entered a creditors’ voluntary liquidation. The record lists Adam Price and Lane Bednash of CMB Partners UK Limited as joint liquidators.
The development marks a significant change for a company that had operated as a specialist coffee supplier for commercial customers across the country.
How long had Joe Black Coffee Roasters been operating?
Joe Black Coffee Roasters traces its history to 1950, when the business began in Liverpool under the name Bellews & Co Merchants, according to the company’s own account quoted by the Mirror.
As reported by Olivia Beeson, the company said its story began in Liverpool in 1950 and described coffee roasting at the time as both an art and a trade. The business subsequently developed from a local roaster into a supplier serving homes, cafés and workplaces across the UK.
The company’s own website similarly describes its Merseyside roasting heritage and states that Joe Black Coffee has been roasting coffee locally for more than 50 years. Its published information identifies its head office at Millers Bridge Industrial Estate in Liverpool and lists company number 13641409.
The 76-year figure therefore relates to the history and origins of the business rather than the incorporation date of the current registered company.
What did Joe Black Coffee Roasters supply to businesses?
Joe Black Coffee Roasters operated as a commercial coffee supplier serving a broad range of business customers.
Olivia Beeson reported in the Mirror that the company supplied coffee to restaurants, cafés, hotels and workplaces across the UK.
The company’s services were not limited to supplying roasted coffee. Beeson also reported that Joe Black offered training, coffee machinery and servicing, meaning its relationship with business customers could extend into operational and technical support.
Joe Black’s own website describes the business as a supplier to Liverpool’s museums, restaurants and coffee shops, while also highlighting its small-batch roasting and locally established roasting operation.
The company’s published customer-facing message emphasised that it aimed to support cafés, hotels and workplaces with coffee-related requirements rather than simply supplying individual products.
This broader service model meant that Joe Black occupied a position within the hospitality supply chain as both a product supplier and a provider of associated equipment and expertise.
What did the company’s own history say about its growth?
Joe Black Coffee Roasters presented its history as a progression from a small Liverpool operation into a business serving customers across the UK.
According to the company statement quoted by Olivia Beeson in the Mirror, the business began as Bellews & Co Merchants in 1950. The company said it had subsequently developed from a local roaster into a recognised supplier serving homes, cafés and workplaces around Britain.
Its current website also refers to traditional flame-roasting techniques and identifies the company as an established Merseyside coffee supplier.
The history is significant because the liquidation affects a business whose identity had been closely connected with longevity, local production and relationships with commercial customers.
At the same time, the distinction between the historical business and the current legal entity remains relevant. Companies House records cited in the insolvency information show that Joe Black Coffee Roasters Ltd was incorporated in September 2021.
When was the liquidation formally recorded?
The formal insolvency process was recorded in September 2026.
According to the Gazette-derived insolvency record, Joe Black Coffee Roasters Ltd passed a resolution for voluntary winding-up, and Adam Price and Lane Bednash of CMB Partners UK Limited were appointed as joint liquidators. The appointment notice was published on 14 September 2026.
The Mirror report, published by Olivia Beeson on 24 September, stated that The Gazette recorded Adam Price and Lane Bednash as having been appointed on 8 September. The Mirror described them as joint administrators, but the later Gazette-derived company record identifies the formal procedure as a Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation and identifies Price and Bednash as joint liquidators.
For accuracy, the formal insolvency classification used in the company record is therefore the relevant description of the proceeding.
What is a Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation?
A Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation, commonly abbreviated to CVL, is a process used when a company is being voluntarily wound up in circumstances where it cannot meet its financial obligations.
The Gazette-derived record states that Joe Black Coffee Roasters Ltd resolved to voluntarily wind up and appointed Adam Price and Lane Bednash as joint liquidators.
Once liquidators are appointed, responsibility for dealing with the company’s remaining affairs moves into the formal insolvency process. This can include identifying company assets, dealing with creditor claims and realising assets in accordance with applicable insolvency rules.
The liquidation record does not, by itself, establish a single reason why the company became unable to continue trading. The available reporting confirms the liquidation but does not provide a detailed statement from Joe Black explaining the specific causes behind the company’s financial position.
That distinction is important because the fact of liquidation should not be presented as evidence of a particular cause unless that cause has been documented by the company or an authoritative source.
What do the company’s latest filed accounts show?
The latest accounts cited in the insolvency record provide some financial context.
According to the Gazette-derived information, Joe Black Coffee Roasters Ltd’s last filed balance sheet, covering the year to 30 September 2024, showed total assets of £19,000, while net assets stood at minus £101,000. Total liabilities were reported at £120,000. The company was recorded as having an average of three employees during that reporting period.
Those figures pre-date the liquidation by almost two years, meaning they should not be treated as a current financial statement at the point of closure.
The insolvency record also notes that the accounts were micro-entity accounts and unaudited. Consequently, the figures provide historical financial information rather than a complete picture of the company’s financial position immediately before liquidation.
Nevertheless, the figures show that the registered company had recorded negative net assets in its most recently filed accounts before the formal insolvency process.
What services will be affected by the closure?
Joe Black Coffee Roasters was more than a conventional wholesale coffee supplier.
The Mirror reported that the company provided coffee to restaurants, cafés, hotels and workplaces, while also offering training and coffee machinery and servicing.
The company’s own website also highlights its commercial relationships with restaurants and coffee shops and its role in supplying roasted coffee from its Merseyside operation.
For commercial customers, coffee supply can involve more than the regular delivery of beans. Equipment installation, machinery maintenance, staff training and technical support can all form part of the relationship between a specialist roaster and a hospitality business.
The loss of a supplier offering several of these services can therefore have implications beyond the supply of coffee itself, particularly for businesses that had established operational arrangements with the company.
This makes Hospitality and Tourism relevant when considering the wider business environment surrounding cafés, hotels, restaurants and other hospitality operators, including the management of suppliers and operational services.
What is known about the company’s employees?
The available reports establish that the company entered liquidation, but the Mirror report does not provide a detailed account of the number of employees affected or any specific redundancy arrangements.
The historical company accounts cited in the insolvency record recorded an average of three employees for the year ending 30 September 2024.
That figure should not automatically be treated as the number of employees at the point of liquidation, because the accounts relate to an earlier financial period.
Any claims involving wages, holiday pay or redundancy would fall within the relevant UK insolvency and employment framework, but the available reporting does not provide enough company-specific information to state the eventual outcome for Joe Black’s employees.
What did Joe Black Coffee Roasters say about its position?
The company was contacted for comment by the Mirror, according to Olivia Beeson’s report.
The article did not include a response from Joe Black Coffee Roasters explaining the reasons for the liquidation.
The company’s previously published material instead provides information about its history, services and approach to coffee production. Its website describes its Liverpool heritage, roasting operation and commercial customer base.
In reporting the liquidation, it is therefore important to distinguish between the company’s historical descriptions of its business and any explanation for the insolvency. The available source material does not establish a detailed statement from the company attributing the liquidation to one particular factor.
Does Joe Black’s closure reflect wider pressure on UK businesses?
The liquidation comes during a year in which several UK businesses have faced administration, liquidation, restructuring or store closures.
Patrick Glover of The National also reported on Joe Black Coffee Roasters’ move into liquidation and placed the closure within a broader account of UK businesses experiencing financial difficulties during 2026. Glover reported that other retailers and consumer-facing businesses had also announced closures or entered formal insolvency processes.
That wider context includes businesses across different industries and does not establish that the same financial circumstances applied to Joe Black Coffee Roasters.
The Joe Black case is more specifically connected with the hospitality and food-service supply chain because its customers included cafés, restaurants, hotels and workplaces.
For businesses operating within that supply chain, the case demonstrates why supplier relationships, cash flow, contractual arrangements and financial monitoring can become important elements of day-to-day commercial management.
What happens next for Joe Black Coffee Roasters?
The next stage is governed by the formal liquidation process.
The Gazette-derived record confirms the appointment of Adam Price and Lane Bednash of CMB Partners UK Limited as joint liquidators.
The liquidators will deal with the company’s affairs under the applicable insolvency framework, including the company’s assets and creditor claims.
The company’s latest available accounts provide historical financial information, but the final position of creditors cannot be determined from those figures alone. The amount ultimately available to creditors depends on the assets realised, liabilities established and the statutory order governing distributions.
For former customers, suppliers and other parties connected with the business, the formal insolvency record therefore becomes the appropriate reference point for developments in the case.
Why does the closure matter after 76 years?
Joe Black Coffee Roasters’ liquidation marks the end of a business story that began in Liverpool in 1950.
For 76 years, the name associated with the business was connected with coffee roasting and supply, developing from its reported origins as Bellews & Co Merchants into a supplier serving commercial customers across the UK.
As reported by Olivia Beeson of the Mirror, Joe Black supplied coffee to cafés, restaurants, hotels and workplaces and also provided training, machinery and servicing.
The formal insolvency record now shows the current registered company in a Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation, with Adam Price and Lane Bednash appointed as joint liquidators.
The closure illustrates the distinction between a company’s trading heritage and the legal entity currently carrying that business. It also brings the company’s long-running presence in the commercial coffee and hospitality supply chain to a formal end.
For businesses operating in hospitality, maintaining resilient supplier relationships and understanding the commercial implications of changes to key suppliers remain important parts of operational planning. This is particularly relevant to organisations working across Hospitality and Tourism, where cafés, hotels, restaurants and related businesses depend on reliable supply, equipment support and service continuity.
The Joe Black Coffee Roasters story is therefore not only the closure of a long-established Liverpool coffee business. It is also a reminder of the interconnected nature of Britain’s hospitality supply chain, where the financial position of a specialist supplier can affect the businesses that depend on its products and associated services.