Blackburn Cathedral is launching its very own blend of coffee in the latest of its drinks businesses set up to boost its mission and ministry.

Hot on the heels of the first ever cathedral branded gin, Dean's Beans Coffee has been produced by a local company and will be sold in the cathedral's cafe.

Like its gin business, it's hoped the coffee will soon be stocked in supermarkets.

Named in honour of the Dean of Blackburn Very Rev Peter Howell-Jones, Dean's Beans retails at £5 a 225g bag for both ground and beans. 

A tea business is expected to launch later this year too.

"This is cathedrals doing business in the 21st century,' Very Rev Howell-Jones said.

"Creating a gin, a coffee, or a tea here at Blackburn Cathedral to sell in the commercial world helps us develop our reach beyond Lancashire.

"It reflects a well-established tradition of monastic and religious communities brewing, fermenting and distilling, that pre-date the medieval period.

"And by doing so, we are helping to reflect something of the entrepreneurism and creativity, which is the spirit of England's cathedrals."

The cathedral's gin sold out its first two batches in less than a week after launching in 2018.

It is now stocked in supermarkets at £39 a bottle. Over 2,000 have been sold so far. The drink is now turning a profit with funds being put back into the cathedral's ministry.