Member Article

Farm shop cafe re-finances with business loan

Farm shops and independent butchers have reported a 75% increase in sales in recent years following the supermarket “horsemeat scandal” of 2013.

A multi-award winning farm shop café in Barnard Castle is continuing to see this business growth and has sought a re-financing loan to boost its offering.

The Business Enterprise Fund (BEF) granted one of its first loans in the North East, following a recent office opening in Darlington, to Cross Lanes Café, a business established by husband and wife duo, Peter and Sue Coverdale in 2011 following a successful decade at the helm of Cross Lanes Organic Farm.

With the £15,000 loan from BEF, which also has offices in York, Leeds and Bradford, Cross Lanes Café has been able to re-finance, enabling it to develop its business plans and consider further expansion. The café is also home to an education centre, which currently offers workshops in cooking, growing vegetables and stonework. The building’s surroundings have also received a re-vamp to reflect the brand’s sustainability ethos; a philosophy already embraced by the café’s rolling grass roof which often has sheep grazing on it.

Café manager, Deborah Hare, said: “We have plenty of growth plans with the education centre, there is so much more we could be offering. Thanks to the re-financing loan from the Business Enterprise Fund, we can start making these plans a reality.”

Peter, an experienced masonry and restoration service provider, has also been able to re-dress the reclaimed stone on the wall and create an internal staircase made from recycled metal.

David Winspear, investment manager at BEF, advised and mentored Cross Lanes Café through the loan process to open up business development opportunities. He said: “Cross Lanes Café is a great example of a self-sufficient business which a passion for educating others on the importance of locally sourced produce and using environmentally friendly resources.

With the loan from BEF we’re eager to see them meet their targets of expanding the education centre and become even more self sufficient.“

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Approach PR .