Speciality Coffee at Silver Apple Farm Shop, Buckminster
Locally roasted coffee served every day in a village antique shop turned tearoom!
Say hello to Caroline and Faz at Silver Apple; they rose to the task of building a new business amid the Covid whirlwind!
Antiques for everyone
Silver Apple began as an antiques and second-hand furniture shop in Grantham. If you took a wander to Manor Farm in Buckminster, you would have found a bottle-green barn packed with antiques of every sort. From chairs to chess sets, Silver Apple Furniture stocked everything a keen antique collector might need.
Then Covid hit and the ‘bye-bye for now’ sign came up. Antique and homeware shops fell under the non-essential banner, so Silver Apple Furniture had to shut its doors when we went into lockdown. Caroline and Faz knew that it was time to adapt. They wanted to keep offering their services to their lovely customers, so came up with a plan to take Silver Apple into its next life!
Shop to it!
Around this time, Buckminster’s village shop had closed for good. Now, locals couldn’t buy the daily essentials without driving to the nearest supermarket. Village spirit was growing weak; locals missed the chat and friendly smile that came with staying local.
Caroline and Faz had a solution. They had the enthusiasm, the passion and a shop-ready space right there in the village. Enter Silver Apple Farm Shop: the village farm shop selling everyday essentials and top local produce to Buckminster and beyond! Fresh milk, speciality coffee, bakery bread and package-free veg are all in stock, as well as meat, cakes and every store cupboard staple you might need. Every item is considerately selected to support local producers, and you can always expect to receive service with a smile. Now, we’d say that tops the Tesco self-checkout any day!
Silver Apple is a big success
As this hidden gem became less hidden, Caroline and Faz decided to take their village store to the next level. Happy customers continued to make requests for more items and greater selection, and neither Caroline nor Faz could say no. They are passionate about serving their community, so the decision to make Silver Apple a fully established farm shop was easy! They wanted to keep things local while adding a touch of luxury. So, you’ll still find locally grown veg, Manor Farm yoghurt and Bassingthorpe milk alongside premium products like handmade chocolates and fresh flowers. The antique shop remains open and as popular as ever, too. There’s something for everyone to enjoy!
Especially if you’re a coffee lover! Caroline approached our team with the aim of introducing a first-rate, local coffee shop supplier to Silver Apple. We are passionate about supporting independent businesses, so jumped right into the challenge of helping Caroline discover the perfect speciality coffee for her customers. We visited the shop, served some samples, and that was it – Caroline was sold!
Caroline and Faz started with a few retail bags to show their customers what Two Chimps is all about, but swiftly expanded the range to keep their coffee-hungry customers happy. Such was the demand that Silver Apple now stock almost every option we have!
Tea Room and utterly terrific!
But why stop there? If business is flourishing and customers are keen for more, why not give the farm shop another restyle? Locals enjoyed meeting people and having a natter as they stocked up on tasty produce, so why not give them a space to natter? And where do we like to natter most of all? Tea rooms! Opening a tea room for the community was a great way to keep people connected, showcase local produce and give Caroline a chance to use the boxes and boxes of pretty teacups she’d been saving!
The couple knew they wanted to serve Two Chimps Coffee in the Tea Room but weren’t sure where to start with an espresso machine. No fear – we’re on it! Here at the treehouse, we source and refurbished pre-loved expresso machines and rent them out to customers just like Caroline.
Starting a new venture like a tea room can be daunting, so renting a machine is the perfect, cost-effective solution. What’s more, we offer a full machine set-up service, free barista training and super-speedy repairs should anything go awry. With everything set up, the Silver Apple Tea Room became a takeaway favourite and is now fully open serving tea, cake and Two Chimps Coffee!
Fancy checking out the full Two Chimps range first? Take a mosey over to our online shop – you won’t believe so much speciality coffee goodness can fit in one place!
Meet the chimp behind this article!
Head Chimp founded Two Chimps alongside Laura in 2016 after being self-employed from the age of 21. He caught the coffee bug from using an at-home roaster, and the rest is history!
What Andy does outside of the treehouse:
When the weather’s nice, Andy loves going on bike rides with his trusty sidekick, microchimp Felix (who always leads the way, of course). Andy also enjoys spending time tending to the family’s vegetable garden, and looking after their at-home farmyard, which includes a cat, two guinea pigs, and six chickens!
Andy says…
“I believe every day is a school day, and I’m always looking for opportunities to stick my head in a book and absorb new knowledge. I also love a problem to solve and fix – there’s no such thing as problems, only solutions.”
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