Businesses, musical talent and a local celebrity gathered on 8 September 2021, to support the opening of Cool Beans, the new café at The EpiCentre on the Haverhill Research Park. Topped with a ribbon cutting ceremony by West Suffolk councillor Susan Glossop, the innovation centre is fast becoming a great location for companies looking to do business outside of the busy city of Cambridge.
Guests were treated to a truly inspirational speech by Scott Russell, the founder and owner of Paddy & Scott and supplier of coffee to Cool Beans, on how he started his business and funded a village in Kenya. From farm to coffee shop, Paddy & Scott shared an inspiring story of strengthening a local eco-system, a vision shared by The EpiCentre and the regeneration work being done in Haverhill.
Councillor Glossop, said: “The Epicentre is the result of years of work by Jaynic and what is now West Suffolk Council and it has been delivered because of the financial support and funding from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority as well as a loan from West Suffolk Council.
“The opening of the Cool Beans Café will further enhance the EpiCentre in terms of what it can offer to businesses in the Haverhill area, encouraging networking, growth and support. This café space will serve as the catalyst for many productive and innovative conversations which I hope will lead to future collaborations and success. It also means that the EpiCentre, which has already started a programme of events, can do even more to encourage businesses to engage, log on and work from the EpiCentre, helping businesses back on their feet and moving forward with their plans for growth in West Suffolk,” commented Cllr Glossop.
Scott Russell, said: “We’re super proud to add Cool Beans to over 250 sites in the UK now serving Paddy & Scott’s in what I think will become an iconic location, a real hub of energy and passion. Cool Beans will be supporting our school and community project in Kenya where our coffee farm is located.”
The event also marked a special thanks to Suffolk GP Federation Vaccination Clinic with the unveiling of a plaque, in recognition of The EpiCentre being one of Suffolk’s first vaccination centres earlier this year.
The café is operated by Cambridge Catering, founded 11 years ago by Dennis Caswell who also owns the Sea Tree restaurant in Mill Road, Cambridge and runs contract catering for businesses in and around Cambridge including Dick White Referrals at Six Mile Bottom in Cambridgeshire, which is one of the largest specialist veterinary centres in Europe with 600 staff.
Kelly Boosey, The EpiCentre centre manager, said: “The vision for The EpiCentre is to create a vibrant business community and encourage collaborative conversations over a coffee and a bite to eat. Cool Beans café further adds to the attraction of the centre both for the occupiers and as an informal space for members of the public from surrounding areas to drop in for coffee, hold meetings and make use of the Wi-Fi. And all without having to book space.”
The cafe offers additional services including catering for conferences and meetings for external organisations as well as The EpiCentre customers. This includes business breakfasts, lunches canapes.
