Coffee Cup Hexham owners retire after 10 years in business

Nick and Jai Anderson, joint owners of Coffee Cup in Hexham, will close the business on April 30.

Nick, 61, said: "It's always what we've been working towards right from when we first started. Jai wants to go home now, she's been in this country for a lot of years now."

Jai, 49, is originally from North Eastern Thailand and now wants to return home to see her family and parents.

The Coffee Cup owners, Nick and Jia Anderson (Image: Natalie Finnigan)

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Nick and Jai have owned the business together for 10 years and say they 'can't wait' to retire and are looking forward to relaxing.

Nick said the Hexham community is 'devastated' they're leaving the business. 

"We started with a blank canvas, it was totally empty and we kitted it all out. It used to be the old second-hand bookstore in Hexham. It was done out and we know the landlord, they knew we were looking for a cafe at the time, offered us this place and we took it up.

"We started from nothing and built it into what it is now," Nick said.

The cafe has not been put up for sale yet, but Nick said 'one or two' enquiries have been made so far.

Outside Coffee Cup in Hexham (Image: Natalie Finnigan)

"We never even thought about selling the business on. We just wanted to have a cafe, do it and then go. Then someone said 'you need to be selling the business on', we never thought about it.

"Whoever takes it on, they've got a ready-made cafe, a ready-made business with a customer base and it shocks us at times that our customer base is massive.

"We've got people coming down from Scotland, from the north, the whole of Hexham and round here and Durham.

"People don't realise how full on running a cafe is, I thought it would be a doddle. Hardest job I've ever had," Nick said.

"Whoever takes on the cafe, people of Hexham, please give them a chance," he said. "Don't stop coming here because we're not here."