Big Moose Coffee Co launches in Cardiff

The St David’s Partnership, owners of St David’s shopping centre in Cardiff, has announced that Big Moose Coffee Co. has opened its first cafe at St David’s.

The new 1,552 sq ft café, located on Frederick Street, has been launched in conjunction with the St David’s Partnership. The employees include individuals affected by homelessness who are supported by Welsh charity Llamau.

Founded by father-daughter duo Jeff and Chloe Smith, Big Moose Coffee Co. provides visitors with delicious food and coffee in a friendly atmosphere, whilst helping homeless and other disadvantaged people get back into work and society.

Part-time positions, barista training and mentoring for careers in the food and hospitality sector form the support provided by Big Moose Coffee Co. The store design has been carried out by an in-house team and includes space for 65 covers.

Speaking on behalf of the St David’s Partnership, a joint venture between Landsec and intu, Colin Flinn, intu’s regional managing director – west, commented, “We are delighted to be supporting this life-changing Big Moose Coffee Co. initiative. Big Moose’s work in tackling homelessness in Cardiff is vital, and the new café will bring a new dining element to St David’s, providing greater choice for consumers.”

Jeff Smith, founder of Big Moose Coffee Co., the company’s parent charity, said, “The café idea was born after over two years of helping feed and clothe the homeless of Cardiff. We wanted to take it further and provide them with the skills to help rebuild their lives, and that’s when we thought of the Big Moose Coffee Co. concept.

‘We are passionate about supporting these people and setting them up to get a new start in life. The St David’s café will be a great location for our baristas to learn new skills and gain experience interacting with customers in a busy commercial centre.”

In the run-up to the opening, a seven-day kick-starter campaign to raise funds for the refurbishment of the new premises was launched receiving over £30k in donations.

This announcement follows the news that Wagamama has unveiled its newly refurbished restaurant interior at St David’s. Last year, YO! Sushi and TGI Friday’s also revamped their stores within the centre, further enhancing the dining experience for customers.