“In 2014 an unloved old coaching inn came on the market with a restaurant, tiny kitchen, 10 bedrooms and a converted barn where the previous owner had lived. I saw my chance, refurbished the pub, rooms and restaurant and changed the barn into a small bakery and coffee shop.
Since 2014 we have moved the bakery twice as a result of growth and are now in a unit in Newbury producing bread, cakes, pastries and wholesale kitchen items like pies, pasties, soups, stews, sandwiches and salads. Alongside the development of the wholesale bakery and kitchen we now have 9 coffee shops soon to be 11, the first of which opened in 2016. It is a small shop on the high street in the village of Kingsclere near Basingstoke.
When the site came up with a rent of £400 per month it seemed the perfect place to showcase our wholesale range, cheaper than placing an advert in the local newspaper. Five of our coffee shops are on small village high streets that aren’t of interest to the big brands. We sit in the community, providing a central hub for people who enjoy well produced, good food