Two brothers have taken the plunge and opened a new coffee shop just a stone's throw from their childhood home in Glanmor Road, Uplands. On their first day, David and Harrison Lees, owners of Sloth Coffee Co., gave out free coffees to celebrate their launch and ended up serving 600 free cups of their speciality coffee to curious new customers.
Choosing what they described as "blissful ignorance" and opening a new business during a challenging cost-of-living crisis, the brothers - who both have a background in carpentry- said they decided to follow their passion and open their own coffee shop when they saw a former osteopath business premises up for sale.
David "Dai" Lees, 33, lives in Bristol with his wife and two young children and works as a personal trainer. He said the decision to set up shop in the Uplands "just happened" and it was his Swansea-based brother Harrison Lees, 30, who did most of the work to transform the osteopath office into a beautiful dog-friendly coffee shop. You can read more stories about Swansea here.
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"It's not an industry that I'm particularly familiar with, we're both trained as carpenters," David explained. "But we'd always spoken about wanting to do something in coffee because it's our passion but up until now we've just been enthusiastic hobbyists."
When David and Harrison grew up near the row of shops where their business is located, there were thriving family businesses such as a grocers, butchers and tobacconists, but these were later closed, they said. Wanting to bring this community feel back to the area, the brothers hope their coffee shop will help locals enjoy a good brew closer to home. David said. "We wanted to open a nice community hub in the area we grew up in."
The brothers opened the shop at the beginning of December and said they had no idea what to expect, David explained. But they said they'd had an overwhelmingly positive reception from local people and already had regular customers. They named their coffee shop Sloth Coffee Co. after the notoriously lazy animal to reflect the chilled, laid-back atmosphere they wanted to create inside their new business.
It really is all about the coffee at this new Uplands shop, with a selection of special guest roasts available to try in the form of filter coffee each day. You can get to know what coffee you like and choose a roast like you would a cocktail, rather than just asking for a simple Americano, David explained.
Coffee novices fear not though, the friendly brothers are happy to chat and help you find something tasty if you don't know your dark roast from your light. Their house espresso was from Bristol-based Odd Kin roasters, which ethically sourced coffee and ensured farmers got paid a fair wage, said David.
Sloth Coffee Co. also offers pastel de natas and other baked goods by Swansea baking favourite Natas by Max and are hoping to add brunch meals and sandwiches to their menu once they are more settled in. David said they were "first and foremost a coffee shop," which is unsurprising with two brothers who love coffee as much as they seem to.
What is surprising is that these coffee-loving brothers-turned-business partners did not always get along so well, with typical sibling rivalry shaping their youth. "We got all our fighting out of the way," said David, who explained that they were now really good mates. David's wife Amy and Harrison's girlfriend Abi are also great friends too, so there is one big happy family behind the business.
Travelling from Bristol three days a week to work in the shop with a wife and his two children under three at home had been difficult, David said, but he said he was happy to have his new business in his hometown. He hoped to give his customers a friendly welcome from the moment they walked in the door and said he loved seeing his customers connect with each other in the coffee shop.
"It's lush to see. Especially coming out of lockdown," he added.
Opening times for the coffee shop are 7am-2pm, Monday to Friday, and 8am-2pm on Saturdays. The shop is closed on Sundays and the pair hope to serve much needed caffeine to early morning commuters as many coffee shops open later.
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