A coffee shop in Darwen, known for its quirky drink flavours and ‘TikTok viral’ creation, is in the running for the Lancashire Telegraph’s Best Coffee Shop competition.
Sophia Robertson, owner of 1617 Coffeehouse in Darwen, said the shop is “small but mighty” bringing unique drink flavours and a friendly atmosphere.
She was delighted after hearing about the nomination.
She said: “I felt wonderful [when I heard the news]. We are only a small shop with four staff but they were all buzzing and over the moon when they found out.”
The 31-year-old opened the coffee shop in January 2023 and said she always dreamed of owning a business like this.
She said: “I worked in the coffee industry for years. I started working in an office and realised it wasn’t for me.
“Having my own coffee shop is always something I thought about and wanted but I never put myself out there.
“My husband came home with the keys one day and said, ‘there you go, you can have the coffee shop you always wanted’.
“It is the best thing that has ever happened. We love it and our little town absolutely loves our little coffee shop.”
Sophia said the shop is ‘Instagrammable’ and the small team of four put their all into decorating for occasions.
She said: “We are more than just a coffee shop. We only seat five people inside, so we are very small but we are mighty.
"We are a very ‘Instagrammable’ coffee shop and people travel from afar to see our treats.
“Everyone loves how quirky and cute it is and we go all out for events. It looks like Santa’s grotto at the minute as we have decorated for Christmas.
“People make friends here as it’s such an intimate space and people of all ages visit here.”
The business is also active on social media and one of its videos about the Nutella hot chocolate, loaded with cream and chocolate shavings, has amassed more than 418,000 views and counting on TikTok.
Sophia said the viral video has attracted customers from across the country.
She said: “We have started on the TikTok hype. One of our videos went viral and received hundreds of thousands of views.
“People came from all over after that video to try the Nutella hot chocolate.
"It was very busy [after the video went online] and we made so many Nutella hot chocolates!”
Sophia prides herself, and her team, on coming up with unique drinks that you may not find in other coffee shops.
Chocolate cookie latte, honeycomb latte, white Kinder Bueno, and sticky toffee pudding are some of the hot drink flavours that have featured in the past.
On Thursday and Friday, the business offers deliveries in and around Darwen meaning you can have a hot coffee delivered straight to your door.
She said: “Every month we come up with quirky and new drinks.
"We always like to be different and create drink recipes that haven’t been seen before.”
Beyond the array of drinks, Sophie thinks customers enjoy her caring nature.
She said: “People say I am an unpaid therapist. They come in for a brew and know they can vent if they want to.
“I remember people by what drink they have. You only need to come into the coffee shop once and I will remember your order.”
We will be featuring each of the finalists in the Best Coffee Shop competition over the coming days.
To vote, pick up a paper copy of the Lancashire Telegraph. Once all votes have been counted a winner will be announced in December.
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