MIDDLESBROUGH, England, July 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
For coffee enthusiasts who enjoy a cake - or two - Middlesbrough is about to offer some mouthwatering temptation!
De Melo on Linthorpe Road is set to open at the end of the month - with the menu including American-style sundaes, waffles and milkshakes as well as mini patisserie cakes, and more.
De Melo is a new artisan espresso, patisserie and dessert restaurant that is scheduled to open on 30 June, with Teesside University graduate Imran Ayoub in charge of his own business.
Triple origin artisan blend coffee
De Melo will be offering a specially sourced coffee, the result of extensive research and sampling by Imran that makes him so confident in the result that he's even offering customers their money back in the event they don't like it! He said:
"We are really proud of the coffee. It took a long time to find. I used to work for Costa when I was at university and learned the process of making a really good cup of coffee and what goes into it.
"Most of the big chains offer a single or a double origin blend of coffee but I wanted to do something a little bit different and offer a triple origin artisan blend.
"I went to great lengths to find the right blend. I travelled up and down the country sampling some of the finest blends and speaking to some of the country's most advanced roasters. It was at the 34th attempt, I found a blend that is very unique in my opinion.
"It's the one thing that I've spent the most time on and once I found it, I knew I had a winner. It is a really bold coffee with a lot of body but not too much acidity, which makes drinking it so enjoyable and almost soothing."
When De Melo opens on 30 June 30, over 1000 leaflets will be distributed - each one a voucher to cash in for a free cup of artisan coffee. That's product confidence!
Why the desserts shop?
Imran is a former taxi driver and broadcast journalist for both ITV and BBC and says he saw a the idea came to him while driving his taxi along Linthorpe Road: he kept seeing pizza shops and fried chicken shops and thought: "Something is missing here, and a coffee shop with a dessert menu could do really well."
Fresh every day
Most of the desserts, which will include Belgian waffles and crepes, will be made fresh on every order. The morning goods like croissants and chocolate twists will be baked fresh every morning in store.
Wife and business partner Nadia, 25, has been developing her skills as a baker and cake decorator over many years and will also make some of the desserts.
Funding
Most of the funding has come from Virgin StartUp with the help of TEDCO.
"TEDCO helped with the advice and polishing my business plan so I could apply for a loan from Virgin. It's a brilliant scheme and without their support I wouldn't be where I am today with the business. My advice to anyone looking for help in setting up their own business is to get in touch with TEDCO immediately".
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