A Leeds bakery which started in a van is opening its own coffee shop which will 'help support women in the workplace'.
The Wren Bakery has confirmed it has opened a café in Mabgate Mills, Macaulay Street, in the LS9 area. The business was founded in 2020 by two Leeds women Emma Flint and Clare Sanderson. The ladies wanted to create a business that gives women who experience disadvantages, opportunities towards employment.
Clare found her love of baking and want to help women who have been subject to domestic violence. Accompanied by mental health social work Emma, the pair began touring around in their Wren Bakery-branded van, serving coffees, hot drinks, cakes, and snacks at events, while hiring and training women in the business.
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Not before long, they began serving their beloved treats from The Coffee House in Mabgate Mills. The pair rented the space from The Coffee House owners Mark and Jean Armstrong, who decided to move to a larger premises. Now, Emma and Clare are the new owners of Mabgate Mills and have been transforming the space into a coffee house and training space.
Announcing the news on social media, the owners said: "For the past two years The Wren Bakery has been based at Mabgate Mills, renting space at The Coffee House run by Mark and Jean Armstrong. We have been really grateful to Mark and Jean for the use of this space and their generosity to us as a charity.
"Mark and Jean have decided to expand their coffee roasting business and move their base to a more useable space. It is with huge excitement therefore that The Wren Bakery has taken over Mabgate Mills.
"We have been working hard this week to transform the space into both a café and a training base where we can develop and grow. Increasing our capacity as a charity to train women, who have experienced social disadvantage in baking and barista so that they can grow in confidence and thrive in work. Come and say hello, see what we are doing, and support our work."
The Wren Bakery believes in giving women who have been through devastating situations, a second chance. Owners added: "We exist to reach these women, and other hidden groups in our city for whom the challenges they face have a devastating impact on their lives and their ability to work. The Wren Bakery believes in second chances and sees the potential in every one of these women. We aim to empower and equip them to hope for a future, and give them the tools to obtain it."
Trainees work with The Wren Bakery for a period of two years, learning on the job in the café. Ambassador Kim-Joy said: "Wren Bakery is everything I am passionate about combining baking and barista training to reach out to and empower women who face multiple barriers daily.
"The skills used in baking and barista work are so transferable to a lot of jobs, plus giving the women a sense of purpose and value along the way. I’m so happy that this opportunity now exists for women in Leeds, and I’m so proud to be an Ambassador for Wren Bakery."
The café is open from 8.30am until 3pm on weekdays. Staff say the spot is a "great space" to work or hold business meetings.
To support The Wren Bakery, click here.
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