The owners of an independent coffee shop have told how “investing in Middlesbrough is at the heart of who we are” as they opened their second outlet in the town.
Rounton Coffee Roasters have recently taken over the prime café space in Debenham’s in the centre of Middlesbrough which was previously occupied by Patisserie Valerie and which they have named The Corner.
The business opened its first coffee shop on Bedford Street in March 2016 as part of the major Baker/Bedford Street regeneration project and has been there ever since attracting a loyal customer base.
One famous fan was Radio 1 DJ Greg James who, when hosting the Radio 1 Big Weekend in Stewart Park in May, said it had given him the “best breakfast I’ve ever had”.
He went on to say on social media that “I’d genuinely commute to it” and later added “can’t stop thinking about it” alongside a photo of the meal.
Rounton source and roast their own coffee in East Rounton and also offer a selection of craft coffees, quality light bites and snacks along with speciality Storm Teas and single origin drinking chocolates by Kokoa Collection.
Rounton director Dave Beattie revealed the company were approached by Debenhams about the available space for what would become their second Middlesbrough outlet.
They have now committed around £30,000 in the store and created 16 jobs in The Corner, six of which are full time.
He said: “We looked into it and thought actually, there’s something we could do here and offer something slightly different, yes the same awesome customer service and the same incredible coffee but in a more convenient location for the people of Middlesbrough.
“Personally I think both coffee shops have their own identity and we are not dividing our customer base – this opens the doors to more customers.”
Fellow director Chris Keegan said: “Investing in Middlesbrough is at the heart of who we are and we wanted to take a sensible risk to get the high street moving. For us we thought let’s go for it, let’s try to make the high street happen and let’s create some jobs and I’m super proud of the jobs we’ve created.”
Visiting the coffee shop to offer his congratulations, Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston said: “Rounton Coffee Shop on Bedford Street is one of my absolute favourite places to have lunch and I’m really pleased to see the guys investing more of themselves and their business in Middlesbrough.
“They have got one of the absolutely prime spots in the town centre and I’ve no doubt they can thrive as a brilliant independent Boro outlet.”
Pictured: Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston (L), with Rounton directors Chris Keegan (C) and Dave Beattie (R) at The Corner coffee shop in Middlesbrough.
