The owners of an award-winning Ipswich café have thanked all of their customers as they announced plans to hand over the reins to the business.

Sisters Beth Titchie and Hannah Huntly founded Applaud Coffee, in St Peter's Street, back in 2013.

Applaud has proved a popular spot for hot drinks and treats in the shopping street, with the business previously winning in Ipswich's Food and Drink Awards. 

Ipswich Star: Sisters Beth Titchie and Hannah HuntlySisters Beth Titchie and Hannah Huntly (Image: Adrianna Keczmerska)

Rich and Steph Harvey are set to take charge of Applaud in the new year.

Mrs Huntly said she is proud of the business, saying the sisters have alway stuck to their vision and values along the way.  

She added: "It has been a very busy nine years and there has been a lot of growth in our business, as we have grown and developed the coffee shop over time and added into more of our offering.

"We started off with four members of staff but now we have 13. 

"We have loved being located in St Peter's Street along with other independent business where there is such a great sense of community and we have really benefited from those neighbouring relationships. 

Ipswich Star: The team at Applaud Coffee who will be staying on with the new ownersThe team at Applaud Coffee who will be staying on with the new owners (Image: Adrianna Keczmerska)

"Whilst the business has developed our vision and values have always remained the same.

"The team are staying on with the new owners and I am sure our customers will be glad to hear that so they can still some familiar faces whether that be behind the counter or the kitchen."

Mrs Huntly said she wanted to thank all the customers who have supported Applaud over the past nine years. 

"There are some customers who we have seen since day one," she added.

"We really appreciate and value all the support they have given to our business, and we are just really grateful to all our customers for getting behind us.

Ipswich Star: The new owners of Applaud Coffee will be taking over in JanuaryThe new owners of Applaud Coffee will be taking over in January (Image: Adrianna Keczmerska) 

"The support we felt from our customers when we opened after the lockdowns was really great."

Ms Titchie added: "We have loved every minute of the journey and are now moving into a season where we’d like to create space in our lives for new things to happen - at this stage we’re not entirely sure what."