Barista (British Library)
About the role
As a Barista at Origin at the British Library, you will be responsible for delivering an exceptional coffee experience, upholding our quality standards, and creating meaningful customer interactions. Your role is integral to ensuring every cup of coffee reflects our commitment to provenance, seasonality, and transparency in a high-volume, public-facing role.
As a key member of the retail team, you will:
- Deliver outstanding coffee and service, ensuring every customer leaves with a memorable experience.
- Maintain consistency in coffee quality, adhering to Origin’s high standards and recipes.
- Engage with customers to share knowledge, inspire appreciation for speciality coffee, and enhance brand loyalty.
- Support the retail team in achieving operational excellence and driving performance.
This is an opportunity for a passionate coffee enthusiast to step into the speciality coffee world and develop their foundational skills and knowledge into actual professional expertise.
What You’ll Do
Coffee & Customer Experience
- Prepare and serve high-quality coffee, ensuring consistency in flavour, presentation, and service.
- Follow Origin’s brewing recipes and techniques to maintain excellence in every cup.
- Engage with customers to educate and inspire appreciation for speciality coffee.
- Provide personalised recommendations and support customers in their coffee journey.
Operational Excellence
- Maintain a clean, organised, and efficient workspace to ensure seamless daily operations.
- Support stock management and ensure all products are well presented and available.
- Uphold all health and safety, food safety, and hygiene standards to provide a safe and welcoming environment.
Brand Representation & Collaboration
- Act as an ambassador for Origin’s values, ethos, and commitment to sustainability.
- Contribute to store aesthetics, ensuring retail displays reflect the brand identity.
- Participate in events, activations, and home enthusiast courses to deepen customer engagement and community presence.
- Performance & Continuous Improvement.
- Seek opportunities to develop your skills, embracing training and feedback.
- Collaborate with the retail team to drive efficiencies, improve workflows, and enhance customer experience.
About You
Values & Mindset
- Passionate about coffee, hospitality, and delivering world-class customer experiences.
- A natural storyteller, engaging customers with knowledge and enthusiasm.
- Collaborative and adaptable, thriving in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
- Detail-oriented, ensuring precision in coffee preparation and service.
- Solutions-focused and proactive in problem-solving and continuous learning.
Skills & Experience
- Experience in a coffee or hospitality setting, with a strong understanding of coffee preparation techniques.
- Experience working in a fast-paced coffee environment, with the ability to manage a high volume of tasks, orders and interactions, including manual handling.
- Strong communication and customer service skills, able to engage and educate customers.
- Ability to manage workflow efficiently, multitasking while maintaining quality and composure.
- Experience of working in a multi-site environment with movement across operations and adjusting to demands throughout the day.
- Comfortable operating coffee equipment and troubleshooting minor technical issues.
- Open to learning and development, seeking ways to enhance skills and performance.
Working at Origin
- 26 days’ holiday, including your birthday off, plus flexible bank holidays
- Unlimited coffee and discounts on merchandise and partner products
- B Corp certified and proudly independent
- People-first culture with meaningful, values-led work
- SCA training and learning opportunities for everyone
- Enhanced family leave, sick pay, period leave, and personal days
- 5% employer pension contribution
- 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme and GP service
- Two paid volunteering days each year
Everyone is welcome at Origin
We believe diverse perspectives enrich our culture and creativity. If you’re passionate about coffee and excited by this opportunity – even if you don’t tick every box – we encourage you to apply. Your unique experience could be exactly what we need.
Why join us?
At Origin, you’ll be part of a dynamic team that values creativity, sustainability, and collaboration. We’re committed to providing an inclusive and inspiring environment where you can grow professionally and make a meaningful impact. And, of course, you’ll have access to some of the best coffee experiences imaginable.
While you are here and before you apply, take a look at us on Instagram.
We may close this advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.
- Department
- Retail
- Locations
- The British Library, London
- Hourly salary
- £12.6 - £12.8
- Employment type
- Full-time
- End Date
- 28 December, 2025
- Working Pattern
- 40 hours per week (one weekend day required)
- Contract Type
- Permanent, Full Time
About Origin Coffee
Origin is one of Europe’s leading speciality coffee roasters and we are proud of it. For over 20 years, we’ve been building direct relationships with the world’s most progressive coffee producers, roasting with precision, and championing better coffee experiences at every stage.
But we are more than just great coffee. We’re a certified B Corp, a creative force, and a values-led business that believes in doing things correctly from sustainability and sourcing to design, people, and partnerships. Our community is built on substance, not slogans, and we collaborate with those who share our commitment to quality, purpose, and the long game.
How we work at Origin
Everyone at Origin is expected to:
- Act with integrity, fairness, and respect in all interactions.
- Collaborate across teams, sharing knowledge and ideas.
- Take ownership and deliver high-quality work.
- Stay curious and open to learning.
- Contribute to a safe, inclusive, and positive workplace.