The new team running Dunbeg’s Beach Café has found a recipe for success - after opening the premises at weekends for the first time.
Ricardo Pereira and Andrew McPherson are a month into their new venture, based at the Ocean Explorer Centre at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS). It promotes environmentally-friendly and sustainable produce.
Ricardo said: “The Oban area has great café options but we wanted to offer something different. We’ve put a lot of thought into how we could add to what’s already here.
“Many of our customers so far have been visitors to the area, but we’re seeing more and more locals coming in. A lot of them use the cycle path from Ganavan to Dunbeg to get to us.”
The owners, who met while working in London, have brought a more metropolitan feel to the café, extending breakfast times and opening at weekends, while focusing on the sustainability of products.
They have also introduced a children’s meal deal to reflect the large number of families that visit the Ocean Explorer Centre and now include more options for customers with dietary requirements.
Andrew, son of Gary and Marion McPherson who own Poppies Garden Centre and Coffee Shop, by Connel, explained: "The sustainability of our business is really important to us.
“For example, we avoid single-use plastic wherever possible and our coffee is sourced from a company that changed its roasting process to reduce carbon emissions by 80 per cent.”
The Ocean Explorer Centre is a free-entry visitor centre and marine science outreach base for the research carried out at SAMS.
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