Cookie Policy
Cookies aren't just something we know about from the coffee shop counter. Our website uses them too — small text files that help the site work properly and tell us a bit about how people use it. Here's the full picture.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small files stored on your device when you visit a website. They help the site remember things — like items in your basket or whether you've visited before. Some are essential (the site wouldn't work without them), others help us understand how the site is being used so we can improve it.
The cookies we use
We've kept things simple. Here's what's running on our site:
Essential cookies
These are the ones the site needs to function. Without them, things like your shopping basket and checkout wouldn't work. You can't switch these off without breaking the site.
| Cookie | What it does | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|
| Session cookie | Keeps your basket and login working while you browse | Until you close your browser |
| Cookie consent | Remembers your cookie preferences so we don't keep asking | 1 year |
| Security token | Helps protect against cross-site request forgery (a security thing) | Until you close your browser |
Analytics cookies (Google Analytics)
We use Google Analytics to understand how people use our website — which pages get visited, how people find us, that sort of thing. It helps us make the site better. The data is anonymous; we can't identify you personally from it.
| Cookie | What it does | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | Tells Google Analytics apart from other visitors (anonymous) | 2 years |
| _ga_[ID] | Used by Google Analytics to track your session | 2 years |
Google Analytics data is processed by Google. You can find out more about how Google handles this data in their privacy policy. You can also opt out of Google Analytics entirely by installing their browser opt-out add-on.
Managing your cookies
When you first visit our site, we'll ask whether you're happy for us to use analytics cookies. You can say no — the site will still work fine, we just won't be able to see how you're using it.
You can also manage cookies through your browser settings. Every browser handles this slightly differently, but here are the main ones:
Bear in mind that blocking all cookies might affect how some websites work — not just ours.
Third-party cookies
The only third-party cookies on our site come from Google Analytics, as described above. We don't use advertising cookies, social media tracking pixels, or anything like that. If that ever changes, we'll update this page.
Changes to this policy
If we start using new cookies or change how we use existing ones, we'll update this page and the date at the top. If it's a significant change, we'll let you know through the cookie banner on the site.
Get in touch
Got questions about cookies? It's not something most people ring up about, but we're happy to help if you need to know more.
Email: info@hawkinscoffee.co.uk