Zak Storey

Zak's coffee career began at Starbucks back in 2012, and he quickly became a certified barista for the company, spending a year working across its busy Westfield Derby and Western Road Brighton sites. He showed a passion for both espresso and barista work while there and operated as a coffee master in all but name.

After graduating from the University of Derby in 2014, he left the world of coffee behind to pursue a career in tech journalism. Since 2015, he's operated extensively in that field, writing for all manner of online brands, including Techradar, PC Gamer, Maximum PC, PCGamesN, Trusted Reviews, and many others.

He famously operated as Maximum PC's Editor-in-Chief during 2020 through COVID and into 2022. He then departed the industry, dabbling in PR & Marketing for just under two years, working for Corsair, before leaving that all behind and jumping back into tech journalism once again.

Late 2023, Zak finally returned to the world of coffee and began working for Hips Social as a barista. Tom and Lucy invited him to revamp the site and expand its digital footprint, rebuilding the web platform to what it is today. In 2024, Zak was promoted to Head Barista at Hips and now not only trains new baristas but also maintains and repairs the site's machines, along with assisting Tom and Lucy on any important coffee decisions that he can get his nose into.

When at work, you'll often find him, head down, shouting at the twin Victoria Arduino Mythos One grinders at Hips Social, usually on the dry side of the bar. If he's not working (which is rare), Zak spends an inordinate amount of time either training calisthenics at his local gym or practicing archery in the Wye Valley.