Meet the owner of Eastbourne’s newest coffee vendor in a location you may not expect.

Coffee on the Avenue is Eastbourne’s latest coffee endeavour but it’s unlike any other because the whole operation is run from a tiny kiosk on The Avenue.

Simon Cass, 59, runs the shop with his wife in the kiosk – this is a downsize for Simon, who used to own Deliciously Gorgeous on Cornfield Road, that is now closed.

Simon said: “I used to drive past the kiosk every day and one morning I saw in my inbox it was available, so I thought oh my God, I can’t believe it. I presented my business plan in September and a lot of people were interested because it’s so unique but the council preferred my idea and so they offered it to me for 10 years.

Simon and his wife at Coffee on the Avenue

placeholder image — Simon and his wife at Coffee on the Avenue

“We have big plans for this place because it’s not just about our business we want to improve the environment as well around for the people that live here. We have a small group from Hartfield Square and they came up to talk to us, we want to supply the residents.”

Simon described when they first got the lease they cleared overgrown bushes and weeds and plan to put up benches around the stand for people to sit on when the weather is nice.

In the kiosk they don’t just make the coffee they also roast their own beans in a special machine that can be hooked up to a laptop, which tells you specific information about the type of coffee bean.

Simon added: “We get the beans from all over, South America, Africa and Asia, each one has its own profiles and flavours. That’s the difference between local roasters and large companies because when you roast in smaller batches you take more care because the beans are quite sensitive to the process. With the computer I can see the temperatures, speed and can control everything.”

The machine Simon uses to roast the coffee beans.

Alongside the coffee, Simon sells his own roasted coffee beans and plan on selling something to eat and ice creams in summer.

He added: “Working here is a completely animal, because in our old shop we had 11 staff and some days were incredibly busy. Here is a bit quieter but we hope it will pick up soon.”