Little Man Coffee Co.

Little Man Coffee Co. Swansea. 01/07/25. Adam Roberts.

I’m in Swansea. That means not only will I regurgitate quotes from Twin Town like it’s going out of fashion, but I also drop into those badass coffee experts on Wind Street, ‘Little Man Coffee Co’. But you knew that, right? To add some sobering context to my visit, recent financial hardship impacting the Welsh high street hit Little Man hard, forcing them to close the doors of their Cardiff cafe for good last year.

I was gutted. It was one of my favourite joints in the Welsh Capital. A coffee staple for 11 years, not only was it a sublime coffee shop, but it was something of a creative hub, displaying the works of numerous local artists on it’s walls, serving as a meeting spot for community groups, charities and activity organisations. It really did serve the local community in so many more ways than just hot drinks.

As saddened as I was to hear of it’s closure, it was a relief to hear the Swansea shop remains and is flourishing today in the uber cool ‘Founders & Co’ on Wind Street- a collaborative space that serves up great street food, a cracking bar, and coffee excellence. The Little Man Coffee mission statement is one to remember - “A haven for the underdog and a springboard for the fearless”! *Chef’s kiss*. My visit today served up a small yet stiff black Americano. My kinda vibe. A soundtrack of Joni Mitchell accompanies a tasty carrot cake, taking the edge off a long, traffic ridden drive down.

I love Swansea, from caravan holidays as a kid on the beautiful beaches of Gower, to student nights in the trashy Time and Envy nightclub. I’ve always had a fairly close affinity with the place, as much as the city centre may not to be to everyone’s taste nowadays, the surrounding coastal areas of Mumbles, Langland Bay and Caswell Bay really should be experienced. But it’s in the town where you’ll find the soul of the ‘Swansea Jack’. Dylan Thomas put it better than anyone ever could, calling it an “ugly lovely town”, which, was later embellished by Terry Walsh in 1996 - “I’d call it…a pretty shitty city”, but maybe Dylan Thomas didn’t do as much cocaine as old Terry!

From a working class angle, the city has fucking everything, giving birth to a stellar list of famous people. Catherine Zeta Jones, Ian Hislop, Bonnie Tyler, Rob Brydon. The list goes on, including my old man’s favourite drummer - one Terry Williams of Dire Straits. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that drum intro from Money For Nothing. Class though! The town, like so many in Wales has succumbed to the pressures of the British high street of late so is in some ways a bit of a shell of it’s former self, but it’s still got that edgy valleys charm that made Twin Town such a cult phenomenon in the 90s. The attitude and rebellious swag remains. Some of the old boozers and dive bars have survived, the kind of which you see close down on a weekly basis in other towns. It’s been through the mill over the last 30 years, and the closure of the nearby Steel Works at Port Talbot has been another dagger into the unwavering, rebellious Jack heart. To quote that famous Swansea film one last time, “The way of the transgressor is fuckin’ ard”.

I’m in town today visiting my Nephew Cam, who lives in Mumbles, a beautiful sea front town on the outskirts of Swansea. He’s just returned from his first Glastonbury, so I’m preparing myself for the kind of stories you don’t really want to hear from a young Nephew. I’m also taking advantage of some down time to start the research into Cardinal Coffee Club in North America. Being the founding member and Chairman of the Coffee Club, I take my role very seriously, and scoping out the best coffee spots on the road is a very important responsibility. Knowing what’s on the doorstep of our digs, the gig venue and in general across the town, is vital to avoiding both indecision and bad coffee! In short, I’d like to think the band doesn’t survive without it. I also believe that without trying the best coffee, I haven’t truly understood what a town has to offer. Capiche?

Thank you Abertawe!

Vibe ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Coffee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️