Say hello to our new Roastery Assistant, Holly!

Hi there! I’m Holly & I’m joining the Two Chimps troop as their new Roastery Assistant & Trainer.

We caught up with Holly to see what makes her tick. Want to meet Holly too? Read on!

The newbie in the treehouse

This is my first job outside of full-time education, and I’m excited to get stuck in. After years of academic written work, I’m really looking forward to the hands-on nature of my new role. I’m excited to pack customers’ orders and learn all about the different ways to roast and grind coffee for the perfect flavour. ☕

Best snacks for sums and square roots

I have recently finished studying for my A-Levels in chemistry, maths and psychology. A-Levels were an interesting experience (to say the least); two years of fairly turbulent education made for a unique final year… Whilst it would’ve been nice not to have my entire class see my atlas-print wallpaper, virtual school certainly had its merits. Mostly to do with the fact that I could eat bagels while my maths teacher explained some complex integration methods and stared expectantly at his class of zoomees. Despite the strangeness of it all, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. I like a challenge, and the odd technical issue certainly added some spice to the already difficult nature of A-Levels.

My subject choices made many people in my life cringe. Growing up in an artsy family, not many of my relatives could picture me genuinely enjoying maths (although, after two years of maths-related brain ache, I am inclined to agree with them). I’m still terrible at mental maths, though, and it’s something my dad will never let drop. Let’s just say I’m glad the calculator was invented, or else my maths teacher may have been a bit disappointed…

Chemistry: that’s my element!

I took chemistry because I’m a massive nerd, as my friends are always eager to point out. I now have a pretty rock-solid understanding of how a lot of stuff works. On a molecular level, at least. Maybe physics would’ve been more useful, but pivots and photons weren’t really my thing. I wanted the mad scientist nerdiness of the lab!

Researching the history of medicine (I could give you an A-Z of thalidomide if you like?) and learning all about aspirin was one of my favourite parts of the course. I enjoyed it because of the real-life applications, and I liked seeing how research and hard work can benefit people all over the world.

Look into my eyes…

Studying psychology was another awesome experience. As well as one very random class discussion about the innate morality of a rhesus monkey (ponder that…), I developed an understanding of the rationale behind our own human behaviour. I also realised that people could pretty much get away with anything in the 50s if it was in the name of scientific discovery! Whilst there’s the generic real-life application of psychology, such as developing treatments for mental disorders, my personal favourite was learning about The Stroop effect in World War Two. Essentially, suspected Russian spies were asked to read the word ‘red’ written in Russian and in blue ink. We find it difficult to say a colour when the physical colour of that word doesn’t match. So, the Russian spies struggled to say ‘blue’ because they understood the actual meaning of the word ‘red’ in their language. Clever, huh?

And, stretch…

Alongside all the school stuff, I’ve also been a member of a gymnastics club since I was five years old. I’ve definitely developed a hyper-strong sense of self-preservation since then, but I do still enjoy the odd, vaguely adventurous gymnastics tumble. It’s the best kind of exercise, in my opinion, because it never gets boring. I used to be competitive, but now I’m much happier to do my own thing without needing to worry about pointing my toes! Although, I still insist that the young gymnasts remember the ‘good toes, naughty toes’ rule. Well, you never know who’s going to be the next Olympian, do you?

I began coaching when I was 16, putting my many years and many fails to good use. I enjoy teaching the new starters to do moves without hurting themselves. Or others, ideally. It’s great to see how they progress through the training levels and watch their smiles when they complete a difficult move. Every training session is very rewarding, especially when you’ve watched the little ones try again and again to get something right!

Country gal

Growing up in the countryside has been both a blessing and a curse. As any young person knows, convincing your parents to drive you to a friend’s house because they ‘live out in the villages’ is a clever art form. Just not one I was able to perfect, unfortunately. I think it’s because my dad has had many more years to perfect his stubbornness!

The blessings come in plentiful supply, though. I love the great views when I walk my dog up a hill, and I’m thankful for my stellar patience, honed after missing the hourly town train on more than one occasion.

After too many years of being driven around, I have finally managed to get my own car! Whoop whoop! I have also promptly – and unexpectedly – needed to become an expert in the mechanics of it all. When you buy a car that’s nearly as old as you, it’s prone to rather a lot of issues… Even with the added work of an older car, I’m still pretty stoked to have one! ?

Let’s get brewing! And grinding, and packing, and…

As someone who has spent the last few years trying to educate themselves about the climate crisis and do all that I can to help the environment, I’m really pleased to be working for a climate-positive company. I can’t wait to dive into my new role, learn all about coffee brewing and start meeting the lovely Two Chimps customers! See you soon!

So, check out our awesome range of freshly roasted speciality coffees. They are so good you’ll need a bigger mug. Sorry, not sorry. ?

Let's go!