Dumfries & Galloway café owners launch new coffee brand

About the business

Feast Café, which is in Kirkcudbright, specialises in Mediterranean inspired vegetarian and vegan home cooking.

The café was taken over by friends Lewie and Robyn in January 2024. Eager to find ways to improve the café's offering, they decided to roast their own coffee beans.

After a successful first year of business, the pair decided to launch their very own coffee brand, named Kirk-Coo-Brew, with the name inspired by its home.

Kirk-Coo-Brew aims to put South-West coffee culture on the map. The coffee, which uses beans from fair trade cooperatives across the world, is uniquely crafted to cater to everyone, from the casual coffee drinkers to those who rely on their daily dose of caffeine.

We have spent the last few months trying different beans and roasts, getting to share our work with some of our regulars. Having Business Gateway’s guidance has helped us to get started with this bit of our business; John’s advice helped us to be sure that our idea was a good one.

Robyn, co-owner of Kirk-Coo-Brew

How Business Gateway has helped

After deciding to launch their own brand, Lewie and Robyn approached Business Gateway for expert advice on the food and drink trade, and to find out more about funding opportunities.

After being introduced to their Business Gateway adviser, John King, the duo was signposted to The Enterprise Seed Fund 2024, which supports start-ups and early-stage businesses, with up to £3,000 available. The fund was initiated by Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Business Gateway and backed by the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.

Lewie and Robyn put this funding towards the start-up costs, in particular the equipment required to roast coffee.

Customers will be served the coffee at Feast Café and can also buy bags to take home and brew themselves. The pair has plans to sell to other local businesses and supply the local area with local coffee.

Robyn, co-owner of Kirk-Coo-Brew said: “We have loved getting to bring Kirk-Coo-Brew to our cafe. When my aunty handed over the reins at Feast, we were eager to keep her spirit while adding some new ideas of our own. 

We have spent the last few months trying different beans and roasts, getting to share our work with some of our regulars. Having Business Gateway’s guidance has helped us to get started with this bit of our business; John’s advice helped us to be sure that our idea was a good one. We had a solid plan and he was impressed by our write up. With the help of Business Gateway, we have been able to start this with support that we were looking for.”