Case Study : Cafe Siele - Michelle Douglas Allison

“When my grandmother, Elsie, was alive we couldn’t go anywhere without stopping by a coffee shop, she loved them. We’d go shopping together and often spend more time sitting in cafes than would in the shops,” explained Michelle. “She was my inspiration for starting up a coffee shop of my own.”

The opening of Café Siele - an anagram of Elsie - will seat around twelve people and will provide a takeaway service.  Customers will be able to enjoy a range of different coffees, tea, hot chocolate and hot and cold meals and snacks - all of which will be made fresh on the premises.

Michelle grew up with Elsie’s home cooking and will be making sure her grandmother’s favourites, tiffin cake and apple and blackberry pie, are available in Café Siele.
Michelle, from Trimdon, received funding from Be Enterprising to help cover her start-up costs including insurances, stock and equipment.

Elliott Patterson, Be Enterprising’s programme manager, said: “We are committed to helping people in the most deprived communities of County Durham to be enterprising and start their own business. More than that, we want to give them all the advice and support they need to ensure that their venture is a success.

Our business coaches are there to help our clients every step of the way. Michelle identified a clear gap in the market in Trimdon and set out to provide the area with its own coffee shop. We were delighted to help her get her own business off the ground and we wish her every success with Café Siele.”

Michelle already has plans for the business once it’s up and running: “I’m planning to offer a web-based ordering service so that people can place their order online in advance of their visit. I’m also looking into a meal delivery service which would be a huge benefit to those people that might not be able to get out to the café.”