Kelvin Price, Rector of St Laurence’s Church and Curates Wayne Davies and Lawrence Gittings will be regulars behind the counter of the new Icon Coffee cafe in the Church. They will serve as trained Baristas to meet, greet and offer friendship to all parishioners, locals and visitors who enter the Church.
The Cleric-collared Baristas will serve handmade cakes and pastries from enthusiastic bakers who live and work locally. A local roaster will produce the coffee, and the Baristas will make it on a La Marzocco machine. Melanie Trappe, assisted by Emily Chilton, will manage the new venture.
Two additional employees join them, Ukrainians now living in Ludlow with their children, thanks to the kind generosity of Janet and Chris Tuffley.
Even the cups used to provide the piping, frothing and coffee come with their own story. Called ‘Huskees’, they are made from the waste coffee husk. They are rigid, offer a good grip and are insulated. As a result, they have a comforting ‘feel,’ are sold in the Café and are fully recyclable.
Icon Coffee offers Caffe Sospeso (literally ‘suspended Coffee’ in Italian). Anyone buying a coffee for themselves can pay for a second cup and leave it ‘behind the counter for someone who, at the discretion of the barista, may not be in a position to pay.
All proceeds from Icon Coffee go towards the Church’s mission work which the Rector and the Clerics are committed to. The Christian faith guides this work. It involves helping people less fortunate find solutions to the problems facing them — devoting time and energy to help and assist those encountering hardship or needing help.
Icon Coffee is there for everyone, whether with faith or just finding calm in a beautiful space—a halcyon moment.
Icon Coffee, St Laurence’s Church, Ludlow
For information about Icon Coffee,
Please email Melanie Trappe – Melanie@iconcoffee.uk
