Caffè Nero

Caffè Nero (Italian for black coffee) or Caffè Nero Group Ltd is a European style coffee house brand with its headquarters in London. It was founded in 1997 by Gerry Ford. Currently, the company runs more than 700 coffee houses worldwide and is established in seven countries, including the UK, Ireland, Poland, Cyprus, Turkey, the UAE and the United States.

History

Caffè Nero was founded in 1997 and in March 2001 joined the London Stock Exchange under the symbol CFN. After a highly successful period on the London Stock Exchange, in early 2007, Caffè Nero was taken private in order to give it more flexibility to grow the business. From 2007 onwards, the company has been expanding internationally: in Turkey in 2007, in the UAE in 2009, in Poland in 2012, in Cyprus in 2013, and in Ireland and the United States in 2014.

Caffè Nero has won many accolades for its high quality coffee. It was rated by Allegra Strategies as having the highest coffee quality among coffee brands in the UK for eight years consecutively. Recently, Caffè Nero's coffee was rated best tasting among five major UK brands by experts at the independent consumer magazine Which?

Nero

Nero (/ˈnɪəroʊ/; Latin: Nerō Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus; 15 December 37 AD – 9 June 68 AD) was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his grand-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death.

Nero focused much of his attention on diplomacy, trade and enhancing the cultural life of the Empire, but according to the historian Tacitus he was viewed by the Roman people as compulsive and corrupt. He ordered theatres built and promoted athletic games. During his reign, the redoubtable general Corbulo conducted a successful war and negotiated peace with the Parthian Empire. His general Suetonius Paulinus crushed a revolt in Britain. Nero annexed the Bosporan Kingdom to the Empire and began the First Roman–Jewish War.

In 64 AD, most of Rome was destroyed in the Great Fire of Rome, which many Romans believed Nero himself had started in order to clear land for his planned palatial complex, the Domus Aurea. In 68, the rebellion of Vindex in Gaul and later the acclamation of Galba in Hispania drove Nero from the throne. Facing a false report of being denounced as a public enemy who was to be executed, he committed suicide on 9 June 68 (the first Roman emperor to do so). His death ended the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, sparking a brief period of civil wars known as the Year of the Four Emperors. Nero's rule is often associated with tyranny and extravagance. He is known for many executions, including that of his mother, and the probable murder by poison of his stepbrother Britannicus.

Stewart Lee

Stewart Graham Lee (born 5 April 1968) is an English stand-up comedian, writer, director and musician. He made his name in the mid-1990s as one half of the radio duo Lee and Herring, alongside Richard Herring, a success followed through with extensive touring to build up a live following. He co-wrote and co-directed the mock Broadway hit Jerry Springer: The Opera, a critical success that sparked a backlash from Christian groups who staged a series of protests outside its early stagings. After a return to the live circuit, and through BBC and Channel 4 specials and series, Lee has rebuilt an audience and a reputation as an anti-populist comedian.

Lee remains a significant draw in UK stand up. In recent years, Lee has been successful in selling out large venues including the ICC in his home city of Birmingham as well as larger venues in London. In December 2011 he won British Comedy Awards for best male television comic and best comedy entertainment programme for his series Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle. A 2009 article in The Times referred to him as "the comedian's comedian, and for good reason" and named him "face of the decade". In June 2012 Lee was placed at number 9 in the Top 100 Most Influential People in UK Comedy. His stand-up features frequent use of "repetition, call-backs, nonchalant delivery and deconstruction", a device he often self-consciously refers to on stage.