Jim Moran, Moran Beverage Services founder

Feb 16 2010 by Jez Davison, Evening Gazete

TEESSIDER Jim Moran has gone through a legal wrangle and lashings of sub-standard coffee to build his Middlesbrough business. Jez Davison met him.

It won’t be an easy ride; sterling’s fall against the Euro has hiked up Jim’s import costs by a whopping 30% in two years - although his luck might change if a hastily-organised rescue act to shore up Greece’s finances come to naught.

Born and raised in Teesside, he left school at 15 to become an apprentice welder before heading for the Big Smoke to pursue a career in catering.

He even tried his hand as a chef but got out of the industry because "I didn’t see a way of making money from it".

He returned to his home town to work for chemical firm DuBois before joining industrial detergents business B&W Chemicals.

He then left and launched industrial detergents firm Mor-Chem in 1985 before branching into drinks by buying orange juice and coffee and selling it to sports clubs under the Mor-Juice brand.

McCain’s letter prompted him to ditch both brands and launch Moran Beverage Services in 1987.

More than 20 years later, he’s found recipes for a profit-making business and the perfect espresso.

Mix seven grams of coffee with 30 centilitres of water, add nine bar of pressure and 25 seconds of time - and you may never have a bad cup of coffee again.