Caffe Ginevra
Meet Anthony Finn who runs Caffe Ginevra with his wife Amy. They opened their first shop in their hometown of Prudhoe 10 years ago and now we have shops in Blyth, Newcastle and Teesside.
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I love food and have always been a bit of a foodie, but the idea for the business came as I was enjoying a cup of coffee on holiday in Italy. The coffee was amazing, and it got me thinking about where it came from and whether I could start selling it in the UK. I did some research and found it came from a small family-run business in Sicily. The family didn’t speak any English and I had just started to learn Italian but we managed to get a deal together and I started selling the coffee, mainly to restaurants at first.
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The business grew and we decided to open a shop in Prudhoe just for takeaway coffees, but we quickly realised there was a demand for a place to come and enjoy a good cup of coffee, so we moved into a bigger space, and the rest as they say is history!
How has it been for your business during Coronavirus?
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Incredibly we have actually opened a new shop during the pandemic! Before Coronavirus we had signed a lease on a building in the new Tyneview Retail Park in Prudhoe. We were due to open before Christmas 2020 but then the national lockdown was announced, so it was pretty awful timing, however it didn’t stop us, and we opened the doors on Jan 4.
There is always an element of nerves when you open a new shop, especially during a global pandemic, but the following and support we have in our hometown is so phenomenal, and we were able to hit the ground running.
We have also started making and selling our own gelato from our new shop. Ice Cream is definitely a recession proof product! I think people have been more inclined to treat themselves when they could during lockdown so gelato sales have been going really well!
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We will be doing a gradual reopening of our shops with the two in Prudhoe fully reopening first as we have been able to add additional outside seating areas.
This year has been a real struggle for independent retailers, none of us ever expected to have to go through something like this. I think in Northumberland people like to see local people doing well, especially when they can see the hard work you have put in.
Why should people Shop Local?
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When you support a small business, you are supporting a family and when you spend money in their business it really does mean a lot to them.
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This year has been a real struggle for independent retailers, none of us ever expected to have to go through something like this. I think in Northumberland people like to see local people doing well, especially when they can see the hard work you have put in.
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I would say continue to support those businesses you supported throughout the lockdowns as we want our town centres to be busy, vibrant places.