06/05/2026
So we have reached 10 years! Feels like a lifetime and just a blink of an eye. We are so grateful for how far we’ve come and how the people of Meanwood and beyond have supported us over the years.
What started as a conversation about coffee geekery, community and doing business differently suddenly became a real thing and we’ve rarely had a moment to stop and reflect…
With the cafe space at Meanwood Valley Urban Farm left vacant for 6 months the farm were really keen for us to open ASAP. Within 2 months our team, with friends, plasterers and joiners, all expertly project managed by Sam Lewis (of ExpensePlus) got us open on schedule. The goal was to bring a fresh modern coffee shop to the farm with a focus on quality espresso-based coffee first (and light lunches) it meant replastering, brightening up the space installing better lighting and new bar area. As we were working through those two months we saw very few visitors to the courtyard and we were left wondering whether it would all be a failure however…
On March 5th 2016, we had a sunny soft launch day and made 70% of what we needed to break even. We were buzzing it was a fine foundation to work from. We bought a beautiful nod to espresso history (a Faema E61 espresso machine) and put it pride of place on our bar.
2016-2020
Running a kitchen was new to us and we saw people wanted more than just a bacon butty, so we gradually expanded our menu. Improving our offering in small steps. We also launched our first acoustic night. Our first hurdle was reaching the VAT threshold. At the turn of the year we were surprised to find ourselves screaming towards it. Thankfully we were VAT ready, shot through the threshold and at the end of our first year we had a profit to redistribute to local organisations primarily working with the most deprived communities but also the farm itself. Having worked in social enterprises before we were surprised to be achieving the financial redistribution part of our social aims before our volunteer scheme/community support had started.
Our second year was different, we suffered a bereavement, had our first “barn baby” on the team but also got to grips with VAT. Nonetheless we started Chatty Cafe scheme, grew our volunteer scheme and supported the new community cafes that turned up at Meanwood and Steinbeck. By the end of 2019 we had redistributed over £10,000 mostly in cash but also coffee equipment, coffee and discounts to charities with the farm being a biggest beneficiary. We got to know the annual rhythms of working alongside the farm, in those days the farm hosted multiple community events per year a summer play scheme and had many corporate groups to serve. We also gained our first onsite children’s group Sing and Sign Leeds that made our Wednesdays extra busy. In 2019 we received barn baby 2 and 3 coinciding with a long bridge rebuild project on the farm, it also came under new management and new organisations arrived Silverwood Adventures and Underwood Training bringing new dimensions to the farm. The market garden on the farm took off too as we sought to incorporate the produce in our menu. Things continued to look up until in the winter of 2019 there was news of a new disease in China.
2020-2026
Covid arrived at the end of winter/early spring, just when our bank account was at its lowest. We didn’t have much money to secure our core staff for long so furlough was a god-send. The farm closed its doors and allowed us to forgo rent. We weren’t idle as we were able to work with Interact Church and Community Partnership to manufacture “make at home” food kits for people new to home cooking. When everything reopened being attached to an outdoor venue really helped, we moved the bar to the door, served a simplified menu but also had to say goodbye to two of our long term staff who were returning to Portugal. Gradually we were able to return to 90% of our former income and were able to offer the farm our rent during the next lockdown. We started to plan for the future, our colleagues returned from Portugal and needed work to do so we replaced the floor and moved the bar. Furlough gave us time to reflect and plan. We loved the idea of greeting our customers by the door so rearranged our space to embrace this for the post-Covid future. It was this time our kitchen jumped to the next level. We started our summer wraps, loaded wedges and pulled meats.
As life gradually returned to normal our shop began to accelerate, the farm continued to grow with more organisations coming onsite, we opened a workspace next door and we welcomed Barn Baby number 4. Then came the HGV crisis, Inflation, multiple staff wage rises, increased NI & pension contributions and a 26% rent increase. Each year our growth made us more able to take on the next challenge and improve our offering. We made less profit to distribute but we were able to work with amazing charitable organisations like The Wren Bakery and Real Hope to share our skills and experience. In 2024 after a record making bank holiday weekend we suddenly found ourselves under water. Despite not telling our insurer we were by a beck they fortunately were able to help and after an intense 3.5 days of project management we were back on our feet by the weekend. We re-signed our license 2025 and look forward more exciting developments to come…
Thank you to all staff, volunteers, directors, farm team and customers who have helped us keep going, and put us where we are today. All those who have been part of these past 10 years. Although we can’t include every moment or every person in one summary, every contribution has helped make this journey what it is.
