Two well-known Ipswich cafes are joining forces – to create ‘The Hub Kitchen’

Loni Fair, Sarah Shaw and Mandy Ginn from the newly merged 'The Hub Kitchen'. Picture: ARCHANT (Image: SOPHIE BARNETT)

The two cafes will merge together at the Ipswich Waterfront - the former home of La Tour Cycle - offering a mixture of both menus including vegetarian and vegan-friendly foods.

The cafe will be run as a workers' co-operative, meaning all decisions will be made by consensus and the profits will not go to one person or owner.

Speaking on behalf of The Hub Kitchen, Kizzy said: "We are non-hierarchical - empowering our members to make our own decisions and run as ethically as possible, not exploiting our workers or customers.

"We also aim to source our food as ethically and locally as possible, and to continue using pedal power as much as we can. We will still be a cycle cafe, and continue to host all of the current workshops and meet ups and groups that we support, alongside some great projects of our own."

The Hub Kitchen will be launching a welcoming party in the coming weeks - along with introducing a new logo and signs to fully merge the two brands together.

Kizzy added: "We're going to slowly start introducing more of the Museum Street menu and we will be having a little spruce up over the next few days - with new menus and signs and such, so watch this space."

After nine years of supplying Ipswich with hearty plant-based foods, Museum Street Cafe closed its doors in November 2018 when its lease came to an end.

A group of friends from the cafe decided to start up a workers co-op in a bid to save the business from closure and to collectively continue running Ipswich's oldest vegetarian cafe.

Now, with their newly announced collaboration with La Tour Cycle who opened in 2015, the group of friends will have a large new home for many new customers at the Waterfront.