New coffee roastery launches on remote Scottish peninsula
The new venture has already secured wholesale partnerships with the Michelin Guide-recommended Walled Garden restaurant, Applecross Campsite, Applecross Bothy, and the Applecross Inn.
Retail bags will also be available at A&J Brown Grocers, with additional partnerships in the works.
READ MORE:
Mr Davidson moved to Applecross in 2018 and discovered his passion for coffee during the Covid pandemic. With more time on his hands, he began taste testing beans from around the world and learning the roasting process. After completing a training course at the Scottish Barista Academy in 2023, he is now in the process of transforming part of the commercial kitchen at Applecross Campsite – where he also works – into a fully functioning roastery.
To support the launch of the business, David has secured a £3,500 loan from DSL Business Finance through the British Business Bank's Start Up Loans programme, helping cover the costs of initial stock and equipment.
Sourcing its beans from ethical importers Covoya, the roastery focuses on high-quality, sustainable coffee from countries including Colombia, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Mr Davidson has also teamed up with local creative Valerie Hodgkinson, co-owner of Applecross Croft, to design the brand's logo and visual identity.
He said: 'What started as a hobby during the pandemic quickly turned into something I was really passionate about. Starting the business has been a great learning experience, and the support from DSL Business Finance with my business plan and cash flow forecasts has been invaluable. In the next five years, I hope Applecross Roastery becomes a staple in the area, supplying premium coffee across the peninsula and beyond. Supporting local businesses is more important than ever, and I'm grateful to be part of such a welcoming community.'
Looking ahead, Mr Davidson hopes to expand the business by growing his customer base along the North Coast 500, introducing more visitors to the flavours of Applecross.
Since its inception in 2012, the Start Up Loans programme has provided more than £4.4m to start ups in the Highland local authority area.
Barry McCulloch, Senior Manager, UK Network, Scotland at the British Business Bank, said: 'David's shift from hobbyist to entrepreneur is a brilliant example of how smaller businesses can start from humble beginnings and go on to have a big impact on rural communities. Applecross Roastery not only introduced a new supply chain to the area but also helps support other businesses, boosting the local economy. We're pleased to support David and look forward to seeing his business grow.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Out
3 hours ago
- Time Out
One of California's go-to budget airlines is ceasing its West Coast operations
California's skies are about to get a little less budget-friendly. Avelo Airlines, the ultra-low-cost carrier that made Hollywood Burbank Airport its West Coast home base, has announced it's packing up and pulling out—completely. On Monday, Avelo confirmed it will cease all West Coast operations by Dec. 2, 2025, ending a four-year run that made the airline a favorite for no-frills fliers hopping between SoCal, NorCal, Oregon and beyond. Once heralded as a post-pandemic disruptor, Avelo's California debut was bold, launching amid COVID-era uncertainty in 2021 with cut-rate fares and routes to underserved airports. At its peak, Burbank was Avelo's crown jewel, accounting for nearly a third of the airline's passengers. It even flew its one-millionth guest out of BUR in 2023. But as competition tightened and operational costs rose, the airline's West Coast strategy no longer made sense, said CEO Andrew Levy. 'We believe the continuation of service from [Hollywood Burbank Airport] in the current operating environment will not deliver adequate financial returns in a highly competitive backdrop,' Levy told KTLA, noting that Avelo will instead focus on 'more efficient longer-term growth' back East. The drawdown begins immediately: Burbank will go from a mini-fleet to a solo aircraft by mid-August before disappearing from Avelo's map entirely this winter. The airline's California-based employees have been offered the chance to relocate to one of Avelo's eight other bases, including Hartford, Charlotte and Wilmington (Delaware, not North Carolina), all firmly planted east of the Mississippi. Passengers with upcoming bookings can cancel online for a refund. Though some observers have linked the West Coast retreat to recent backlash over Avelo's controversial ICE deportation charter program (operated out of Arizona, not California), the airline insists the decision was purely financial. Still, the news will sting for budget-minded travelers who once praised Avelo for bringing back some of the simplicity—and affordability—of flying short-haul in California.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service told to improve in six areas
A fire service has been told to improve in six areas, a regulator has Inspectorate has rated Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service good in five areas and requiring improvement in another service was previously rated inadequate at keeping the public safe due to management uncertainty - but the new report found it had improved in this area since David Allen, Cumbria's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, took over said he wanted to "assure the public" that the recommendations to improve were about "processes and back-office functions" and not the delivery of emergency services. The regulator said it was "disappointing the service had "not made enough progress in other areas". However, Mr Allen said: "Cumbria has a fantastic fire and rescue service that will always be there when needed in an emergency."He said the areas needing improvement were not surprising as they had already been highlighted by the leadership team and "work had already started to move these concerns forward". The service was found to be good at understanding the risk of fire and other emergencies and protecting the public through fire also earned this rating for how it dealt with major and multi-agency incidents and making the service affordable now and in the that need to be improved include preventing fires, making best use of resources, promoting the right values and culture and getting people with the right skills, ensuring fairness and promoting diversity. Lee Freeman, His Majesty's Inspector of Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), said the service had "worked hard to consult the local community to build a comprehensive profile of risk".However, he said he was disappointed with its IT services and recruitment processes. The report recommended the reduction of staff in temporary roles and that appropriate training was also said the service "needs to do more to make sure its recruitment processes are accessible to applicants from a range of backgrounds and must improve its equality data".This was the first inspection the service has received since governance responsibility transferred to the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner from Cumbria County Council in 2023. Paul Hancock, Cumbria Chief Fire Officer, said: "We're proud of the areas rated as good which demonstrate the impact of our collective efforts. "At the same time, we fully accept the areas for improvement identified in the report and are committed to taking swift and meaningful action." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
Bank of England will aim for 'ample' reserves in UK financial system, official says
LONDON, July 16 (Reuters) - The Bank of England is aiming for Britain's financial system to have an "ample" level of reserves rather than a scarcity or the current surplus as it unwinds its past asset purchases, senior official Nathanael Benjamin said on Wednesday. Benjamin, the BoE's executive director for financial stability strategy and risk, said that banks with access to BoE liquidity facilities would have incentives not to hoard reserves and to ensure that they spread through the financial system. "If we get the calibration of incentives right across our monetary operating framework and regulatory frameworks, reserves should be neither scarce nor abundant - just ample," he said at an event hosted by the OMFIF central banking think tank. The BoE is currently unwinding its past quantitative easing asset prices at a pace of 100 billion pounds ($134 billion) a year - although some investors think this will slow over the next 12 months - and COVID-era liquidity provided to banks is expiring. As a result, banks will need to make increasing use of the BoE's weekly auctions of 7-day and 6-month funds, which they can access in exchange for high-quality collateral such as British government bonds and certain loans. Benjamin said banks needed to ensure they had sufficient suitable assets to use as collateral both in good times and bad. "It is important that they ... maintain enough 'dry powder' to source additional reserves from us in stress and also consider what collateral they have available to source liquidity from private-sector funding markets," he said. The growing role of financial firms other than banks in British lending markets also made it important to create incentives so that banks with direct access to BoE liquidity facilities lent funds to other firms, Benjamin added. To achieve this, the BoE wanted to ensure that banks "would also have incentives not to hoard excess and unneeded liquidity, and would instead redistribute it to the rest of the system where it might be more needed." ($1 = 0.7472 pounds)
