Raise a cuppa to that! Cafes and coffee shops on the rise in Bradford

Coffee shops and cafes are booming in the city, with latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing a jump from 85 in 2010 to 200 this year.

People in the UK drink 95 million cups of coffee each day, up from 70 million 10 years ago, according to a study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research.

And there’s plenty of places for Bradfordians to choose from - from old-school favourites like Fountains Cafe on John Street, to newer offerings like Tiffin, in the Wool Exchange, and Bread + Roses on North Parade.

The data from the ONS shows that the opening of new coffee shops in Bradford has slowed since 2016, but still increased by 25 per cent.

This expansion is faster than the average for the UK.

On a national level, the Federation of Small Businesses says it isn’t just chain stores which are seeing their fortunes rise - independents are also thriving in the “food and drink boom”.

National chairman Mike Cherry said: “Not only does this help small firms, but also gives shoppers a greater wealth of choice and promotes good healthy competition.

“The caveat for this success is that all smaller firms, whether they are selling coffee, clothes or carpets are constantly threatened by ever-rising business rates.”

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “Cafes, coffee shops and eateries provide places to meet and socialise, and encourage shoppers, workers and visitors into Bradford city centre.

“Our City Centre Growth Scheme has supported over 30 such businesses, 15 of which have been new start-ups.

“Recent examples such as Tiffin Coffee, Noodle Sing and Bread + Roses have brought new high quality offers to the city centre, encouraging greater footfall and dwell times.”

Bread + Roses a cooperative cafe and workspace at Bradford’s ‘top end’ of town opened its doors earlier this year.

Jack Lynch, from the venture, said: “We think the rise in coffee places is due to the changing role they play in people’s lives.

“Cafes act as social spaces, community spaces and also workspaces.

“As cafes are becoming more and more like community hubs, we wanted to make sure out cafe is a place where people could come and find out about things happening in Bradford and represent the city well.”

He added: “We have found that cafes are important as they function as alcohol-free social spaces where people of all ages and religions can meet and socialise.”

Bread + Roses hosts a weekly ‘youth cafe’ in partnership with the NHS, where the cafe is used to host events and activities, as well as acting as a ‘safe space’ for 13 to 25 year olds.

“As a cooperative cafe, we wanted to make sure that our space is versatile enough to fit people’s different needs,” said Jack.

“Due to the changing work landscape and rise of freelance work, coffee shops are often used as workspaces too.

“With this in mind, we have a co-working space and meeting rooms above our cafe is used by freelancers and creatives, who need space to work.”

Tiffin has been trading from Bradford’s iconic Wool Exchange for nearly a year, offering a space to meet, eat and drink in the historic surroundings of the landmark building.

Manager Matthew Crowther said: “The business has been well received by the people of Bradford, visitors, students, workers and officers are part of our wide customer base. “People like the high quality surroundings, the space and the comfort.

“Opening into the evening, until 7pm helps us capture a diverse crowd after normal working hours.”

He said Bradford’s “cosmopolitan population” helps the cafe sector in the city perform strongly.

While Si Cunningham, Bradford Civic Society chairman, added: “Bradfordians have always had a thing for coffee shops and there was a well documented boom in the Victorian era.

“Branwell Bronte was known to frequent Bradford’s coffee houses – he couldn’t get enough of them apparently. It’s good to see they’re still thriving in modern Bradford, as they bring a pleasant, civilising atmosphere to the city centre and they’re generally busy most of the time. In recent years they’ve also helped rejuvenate heritage buildings like the Wool Exchange, which is a lovely spot for a peaceful cuppa. We’ve also got places like Bread + Roses on North Parade offering something a bit more specialist. They’ve really helped bring a bit of much-needed diversity to the street.”