Kettering's vegan cafe closes

Pure Morning in Market Street opened its doors in June and promised to offer something different for the town.

But owners Andrew and Ijahkay Beckett say damage to the unit caused by water ingress and a dispute with the landlord over repairs has left them with no option but to shut.

Andrew said: “We do not feel the premises are safe for our customers or our staff.

“There’s water coming into the kitchen and potentially into power sockets.

“We just thought we couldn’t continue with that.”

Pure Morning opened as a vegan cafe but with about 50 per cent of their client base vegans they then became more of a coffee house.

With a focus on quality coffee and loose teas they also sold vegan snacks and food and drink for the allergy-free market.

Andrew says he believes repairs to the unit, formerly occupied by Mangiamo and then Piccadilly’s, will take at least eight months.

The Becketts are hoping to open again in the region but say they now need investors.

Andrew said: “If there was anywhere else we could open in Kettering we’d consider it but we’ve invested not an inconsiderable amount already.

“We’re hoping to open again in the East Midlands but we need investors.

“People were travelling a distance to get here and we were becoming a go to destination for the town.”

When the cafe opened in June Andrew said he firmly believed there was a market for what they were selling in Kettering.

And he said business proved to be good in their few months of trading.

He said: “We were becoming more popular and people were starting to recognise our coffee was the finest.

“Our customer base had increased and we were starting to serve things you couldn’t get anywhere else in Kettering.”