15/05/2026
We just wanted to take a moment to say thank you…☕️
Fables Coffee House has always been about more than coffee.
We’re an independent Coffee House on Edwinstowe High Street, and we’re incredibly proud to employ 30 local people of all ages — from those starting their first jobs to experienced team members who are the heart of the Fables family.
The photo we’re sharing is one of those moments that reminds us why we do what we do — our team, together, at Christmas.
They are the reason Fables feels like Fables!
Like many small independent businesses, the last few years have become increasingly difficult behind the scenes.
Our rent has increased by 15%
Our business rates have increased by over 20%
National Living Wage has increased by 6.7%, which we absolutely support because our staff deserve fair pay, but it does place huge pressure on small hospitality businesses.
Employer National Insurance has risen from 13.8% to 15%, alongside pension contributions.
Then there’s ingredients…
Because we make everything onsite, ingredient costs genuinely matter to us. We don’t buy in frozen cakes — everything is baked fresh by our kitchen team!
In recent years we’ve seen roughly:
• Flour +35%
• Sugar +28%
• Eggs +40%
• Butter +45%
And yet we still work every day to keep Fables affordable, welcoming, and worth visiting.
A lot of people see a £3.90 flat white and assume cafés make huge profits, but the reality is very different.
Here’s a rough breakdown:
£0.65 VAT
£0.85 ingredients
£0.95 wages
£0.25 NI & pensions
£0.40 rent, rates & utilities
£0.10 other costs
Leaving around £0.70 profit.
That means almost £1 from every coffee goes straight to the government before we even cover our costs!
We’re not sharing this for sympathy — we’re sharing it because we believe in honesty, and because every coffee, breakfast, lunch, cake and takeaway supports real local jobs and real people.
So thank you.
Thank you for choosing independent.
Thank you for supporting local people.
And thank you for keeping Fables going ❤️
