Claudia (pronounced 'Clow-di-ya') Mascino is a formidable leader, motivated by a strong commitment to help the communities in which she works.

The energetic Director of Peabodys Coffee hails from Northern Italy and has brought a zesty Mediterranean get-up-and-go attitude to running artisan coffee shops in hospital settings for the past 20 years. Not famous for exceptional coffee and food, Claudia saw an opportunity during the coffee shop boom of the early noughties to bring a high-quality offer to hospital settings.

“Peabodys Coffee has become successful because we're incredibly flexible. In those early years it was unheard of to have a coffee shop of our quality in a hospital. We invested heavily in bringing high street standards into the hospital environment. I feel we have set the standards and set a trend in our sector for artisan quality.”

Claudia believes that “Good coffee on a good day is great, but good coffee on a bad day is essential”.

“We have always trained our staff to be as positive, kind, caring and helpful as they can. We also follow all the screen guidelines. We are very aware that we are a coffee shop situated in a hospital.”

In 2003 when the company was officially purchased, it was tiny – just a small coffee shop in St George's University Hospital.

A second coffee shop inside the Royal London Hospital followed shortly, along with Bartholomew's and St Helier Hospitals, and further expansion within St George's. From there, Peabodys reputation preceded itself, with a snowball of openings across NHS Trusts within the M25.

Claudia isn't your ordinary coffee shop boss. She could easily have been the Nigella of Time Team, with a PHD from Cambridge in Archaeology and a successful business partner in husband Luke.

But her passion for working with the NHS to generate community spirit and run an employee centric business prevailed, and following a few years of running Peabodys part time decided to dedicate her career to the company.

She has travelled to Brazil to learn about coffee provenance, takes the lead on sustainability strategy, and always, always, has the customer experience and employees' wellbeing at the centre of her work.

Claudia's experience during the Covid crisis identified a need within the sector for a 'safety-first' approach to hospitality. The Pod by Peabodys was born. Designed scrupulously to satisfy the combined safety and customer care needs within a hospital setting. A self-contained, fast to erect 'ready to use' coffee shop is the leaders most modern innovation to date, and will make waves in the sector. She's always innovating.

“We have learnt how to work together well with the hospital team, to help give a sense of community. For example, the staff working in our coffee shops in St George's University Hospital feel part of the same community. The community spirit should be there because there is that connection. I like to be part of that community and am a member of St George's Trust because I want to understand their needs. We always help when we can – we like to feel part of a bigger environment – not just a coffee shop.”

For more information visit www.peabodysgroup.co.uk

Editors notes:

Claudia lives in Bedfordshire with husband Luke and their three children. In her spare time she loves walking in the countryside with her dogs Ginny & Snowy, cooking great food for friends and travelling.

More about Peabodys Coffee

Peabodys run an impressive array of artisan coffee shops that have been serving organic Fairtrade coffee and freshly prepared food for over 20 years. The company has been working extremely hard during the current crisis, and in conjunction with their rock solid business continuity plans, have been very fast to implement clear social distancing, Perspex screens, hand gel, notices, staff training on PPE and hand washing protocols.

Peabodys Coffee is a strong independent provider of quality food and beverages within healthcare environments. It started its extraordinary journey in 1997 serving gourmet coffee and freshly prepared food within hospitals in London. The brand quickly gained a reputation as a strong independent provider of quality food and beverages within healthcare environments, serving organic Fairtrade coffee and a wide range of freshly made hot and cold food with the focus on attention to detail and a desire to serve customers something natural, fresh and healthy at a cost effective price.

A focus on sustainability sets Peabodys aside from its competition. The company is currently working very hard to cut out all plastic from their shops, reduce food waste to zero, and use more organic ingredients. They are proud to offer a Fairtrade, homemade, in-house range, with a good variety.

Peabodys runs coffee shops at 6 sites at the St George's Hospital Tooting and one high street location in Holborn. They have the right staff in place, working closely with NHS trusts and are both experienced and knowledgeable in current NHS guidelines inside the healthcare sector including the sugar tax and CQUIN guidelines. The company also has a reputation for being able to react quickly and are flexible, willing and able to adapt; fitting in with the goals for all hospitals and trusts.

Further Information

If you require any further information about Claudia Mascino, Peabodys Coffee, interviews or product images, please contact:

Ian and Jenny Liddle, Excellart,

01450 219 246, ian@excellart.co.uk, jenny@excellart.co.uk

www.facebook.com/Excellart, www.twitter.com/excellart

ENDS