Cramlington to welcome speciality coffee shop from father-daughter duo
A dad and daughter have joined forces to launch a new coffee shop championing local suppliers in Cramlington.
In a nod to the town’s identity, Twenty Three will be a small, independent cafe with a focus on quality coffee, pastries and sweet treats.
After working in the hospitality industry for a number of years, co-owner Jess Nicholson has dreamt of opening her own place and bringing the kind of speciality coffee shop she loves to visit to her hometown.
With the help of her dad, Brian Baxter, the pair are working together to bring this vision to life.
"The past couple of years, I've wanted to really do something for myself,” Jess said.
"I love that coffee culture when you go down the coast and there's some really gorgeous independent places.
"There's some really lovely businesses in Cramlington, but there's not really that kind of stand-alone coffee shop.
"It's just about creating somewhere I’d want to spend my time in my hometown.”
Brian previously owned a car dealership and has now come out of retirement to lend his business expertise to the project.
"I’m doing it all with my dad as well which is really exciting,” Jess added. “He sold his business last year, so he was excited to get on board with the project.”
The pair aim to focus on local suppliers from the North East and champion independent businesses.
They will be sourcing their coffee from North Shore, alongside fresh pastries and cakes from Tynemouth Coffee Bakery.
"We are working with some really good local suppliers,” Jess said. "We were really blown away which how supportive and encouraging North Shore were. They're taking control of the training and helping with equipment.
"We’re not going to be doing food but there will be pastries and little artisan treats. It’s definitely about enjoying a coffee and something sweet.”
Located in Cramlington Village, the family hope to have Twenty Three open by Christmas or early in the new year.
They say the response from locals has been better than they ever could have imagined.
"We've had some great comments about people saying this is exactly what we need,” Jess said.
"The initial buzz is brilliant, but we need to make sure that these people then become regular customers."