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In its early days it was the business idea of a student fresh out of university. She drew inspiration from a student bar that she had run while completing her degree. Along Claire’s journey she had to learn “how to write a business plan and how to approach the bank for funding and how to negotiate with solicitors to lease the property and everything “and all of this was a huge learning experience for her. During the interview she said she reached out to the Prince’s Trust for funding as they help and support young people who are starting out in business and “did a great job in making sure that once everything was up and running, it was going to continue being okay”
To open the café Claire Hawkins needed to pass a course in food hygiene, an essential for any business in the food industry. She also chose to do a course in Essex to learn how to write business plans to give the Indigo Coffee House the best chance of succeeding. She emphasised knowing maths was useful for general cash flow to keep the business running.
As the business grew with her so did the customer base: going from mostly students, so being busy in term-time and not so much in the holidays, to a more even mix of both regular customers who live and work in the city, students who come during term times and tourists. All of these create a “big happy, you know, kind of community of people.” With this diverse range of people passing by everyday there are always those funny and odd interactions. One customer came in wanting “black coffee that doesn’t have any espresso in it” and someone else saying, “Can I have a sandwich but without bread?” Both interactions left her understandably confused!
So, the Indigo Coffee House, over the many years it has been open, has grown and flourished into a beautiful café to relax in near the heart of Cambridge that is enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.
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