A young entrepreneur is bringing her coffee brand to Preston city centre.
FIA Coffee is due to open in the grade-II listed Miller Arcade by the end of June.
Sofia Desai said she had been encouraged to open in Preston after the encouraging signs shown by her coffee delivery business based in Blackburn.
Read more: Vacant upper floors of Miller Arcade could be turned into apartments
The 21-year-old told Blog Preston: “We’ve been operating for about a year now with our delivery business of iced coffees, matcha and other drinks and I found there was a really good response in the Preston area.
“I’ve always had the ambition to open a coffee shop and a restaurant so it felt like the right time to bring this to the city.
“In Blackburn it feels like it is over-saturated with independent coffee shops but I think in Preston there’s the space for what we want to do.”
The former barbers shop is next door to one of the city’s highest-rated coffee shops and brunch spots, Rise.
Sofia said: “I think they do great when it comes to brunch but we have with our unit a smaller space upstairs which is for take-out but the downstairs is a very big dining area.
“It runs underneath the Dolche unit so we’re going to have a real focus on the dining part along with desserts and we’re able to theme it and change it round during different times of the year.
“So in the summer we’ll have it arranged for families and tweak it once students return in September and October.”
The name, ‘FIA, is a play on Sofia’s own name.
Work on converting the unit into the new coffee shop and dining place is being undertaken by JA Construction Group.
Junaid Arif, director, said: “We are currently undertaking the full fit-out of the new space, FIA Coffeehouse, at Miler Arcade. Our team is delivering the project from initial design through to construction, ensuring the final look and feel of the shop reflects a high-quality, welcoming space for customers and the local community.
“We are pleased to be involved in bringing this new coffeehouse to life and supporting the continued development of the arcade.”
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