Product development isn’t a straight line. This month it’s been more of a spiral of tasting, talking, tweaking and testing. The ideas take shape somewhere between deep dives and long coffees with people who really know their subjects. In the past few weeks, I’ve been working with a range of experts, from designers to food specialists, wine merchants to coffee professionals. Each brings their own ideas, and their insight is helping shape the experiences and products we’re developing. Some of that work has taken place behind the scenes: on iPads in quiet corners of coffee shops, sketching out how ideas might look, sound, or feel when they land in someone’s hands. Other moments have been far more hands-on, like comparing cupping notes, chatting through food pairings, or learning how best to communicate complexity without losing clarity. Today marks a small milestone: I placed the first order for initial printed materials. There’s a satisfaction in clicking "confirm", turning something fro

We’ve just announced our first event, and one of the questions that keeps coming up is: What exactly is Collider Cafe? So, let’s talk about it - the idea, the purpose, and the story behind the name and logo. A Long Time in the Making This is not a new idea. In fact, I’ve owned the domain name for over a decade. Collider Cafe has been quietly bubbling away in the background while I focused on my career in the energy sector, a career deeply connected with the science and technology behind the energy transition from generation to retail. Through that work, I’ve seen first-hand how vital STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) is in tackling the world’s biggest challenges: climate change, energy security, sustainability, and affordability. But it's not just about big problems. STEM underpins so much of our everyday lives; from smartphones to farming, from global logistics to artificial intelligence. And yet, engaging with STEM can sometimes feel intimidating - that’s where Collid

Welcome to Collider Cafe, a place where curiosity, creativity, and science come together. Right now, we’re in that exciting early stage: cookbooks open, ingredients scattered, and a little bit of beautiful mess as we experiment with ideas. Much like preparing a great dish, this journey starts with inspiration. We're stirring together bold concepts, collaborating with experts and educators, and testing everything with a generous sprinkle of fun. Some ingredients are well known like classic experiments, beloved science stories, hands-on activities. Others are new and surprising with ideas that have come from unexpected conversations or observations from our young co-creators (including my daughters, who are proving to be excellent sous-chefs!). Our goal? To create products and experiences that bring people and ideas together. We’ll be sharing more soon: stories from behind the scenes, ideas we're testing, the amazing people we’re working with, and of course, sneak peeks at what's simmeri