Skip to main contentSkip to navigation Close dialogue1/2 Next image Previous image Toggle caption The targeted relief package will support pubs, social clubs and live music venues, but not cafes. Photograph: Guerilla/Alamy View image in fullscreen The targeted relief package will support pubs, social clubs and live music venues, but not cafes. Photograph: Guerilla/Alamy ‘It’s not fair’: cafe owners frustrated over exclusion from business rates cutBusiness owners in England say prioritising venues selling alcohol leaves vital community spaces behind Ferdinand Geus is proud of the positive, global impact his small speciality coffee business is having.“Around 3,000 small, family-owned farms in Yemen rely on us – we’ve persuaded many to stop growing khat, the drug, and start growing coffee instead,” said the business manager of Sheba Coffee, which supplies Yemeni coffee beans to independent cafes across the world, including the UK.“We sell their coffee to cafes across five continents, fuelling employment for an entire chain of people that spans the seas and reaches into local high streets and neighbourhoods around the UK.”Despite Geus’s enthusiasm, Sheba has been struggling under the weight of increased energy bills and a soaring cost of living.“Coffee is a luxury and people are cutting back,” he said. “To survive at this point in our business journey, we need to expand – to employ more people – but…
Published: July 24, 2026 5:55 pm
Source: The Guardian — Read original