Brews up for a cuppa at a new coffee hot spot in the city centre
A new coffee shop is defying the tough business climate to open its doors and champion local, independent suppliers.
Just a week after it opened its doors for the first time, Coffe eHaus in St Thomas Street has served hundreds of cups of coffee – despite it only being able to offer takeout at the minute due to the pandemic restrictions.
Up to £20,000 has been i nve s t e d i n tra n s fo r m i n g former under stairs space in 808 Bar & Kitchen and former changing rooms at the existing Port Independent to create the new venture, which is housed within the clothes store.
It’s the brainchild of Port Independent director Gerard Purvis and CoffeeHaus owner Ashley Bell who has years of experience as a barista.
The pair are passionate about flying the flag for independent businesses, never more so than in the current c l i m at e, a n d h ave f o r ge d s tro n g pa rtn e r s h i p s w i th their suppliers
It’s the only coffee shop in Sunderland to sell Baristocracy coffee, which is roasted fresh to order in North Shields.
Meanwhile, cakes, tray bakes, truffles, pastries and more come from Sunderlandbased bakers Whipped Goods Co and Elliot Hall.
Ashley says she’s been delighted with the response so far.
"The customer support has been crazy. We had a soft launch in the first week and a girl came all the way from Newcastle to get a coffee from us because she had seen we were opening on Instagram,” said Ashley.
“There’s not many other local independents in the city centre and we have kept this business as local as possible, which is so important, especially now.
"It’s been a scary time to open a business definitely, but it’s also a good time b e c au s e p e o p l e a re rea l l y starting to appreciate local businesses more.
"They care about the story behind them and they don’t want to lose them, people are tired of seeing businesses closing.
"I think going to a coffee shop is a small bit of normality for people with everything that’s going on.”
The new venture has created two new jobs, with the view to employing up to three more people in the future.
O n c e re s tr ic t io n s h ave lifted, CoffeeHaus can seat up to 16 people and there’s plans to make it an extension of BierHaus, a craft ale shop also housed within Port Independent.
The plan is to install
pumps within the coffee shop so that people can also enjoy a beer at the site, which has its own entrance on John Street, as well as access through Port Independent.
Gerard said: “CoffeeHaus
is a a subsidiary of Port Independent and an extension of the BierHaus brand. Me and A s h l ey h ad s p o ke n ab out the idea of a coffee shop for a while and it all came together in lockdown. Because 808
and Port Independent (which have the same owners) were closed in lockdown it gave us the chance to renovate the site. Much of it was done ourselves and it was a real labour of love.”
He added: “I think sometimes people can get a bit put off when they see a long list of coffees, but we really want to make the coffee accessible for people, while keeping the quality.”