A new specialist coffee shop has opened its doors in Inverness city centre.
The owners of Birch – who already have a popular shop in Portree – have now launched a second shop in the heart of the Highland capital.
Niall Munro told The P&J that the opening of his second shop today is part of “a passion project”.
The 33-year-old businessman said he developed his great love for coffee while visiting his sister in Australia.
“Birch was inspired by my trips to Melbourne as I took great inspiration from their coffee culture,” said Mr Munro, who moved to Skye from Edinburgh as a kid.
“In Australia, there’s great pride and care taken over the product and a passion for coffee, which you can obviously tell as a consumer.
“For a lot of people hospitality is just an option to make a living, but it makes a big difference when it comes from a place of being really passionate about it.”
Birch had “challenging” start
Mr Munro was running a coffee van in Skye when a small business premises became available in Portree’s town centre in early 2020.
He said it was a “two-week turnaround from an idea” to actually having the keys to the place.
But his brave decision was soon hit by the Covid pandemic.
“It was very challenging and a very stressful time, but we opened as soon as we could,” he explained.
‘Special coffee at a special place’
The café owner explained that Birch focuses on speciality coffee that they source from all over the world.
He said: “We like to keep it interesting, and we change the coffee we serve every month.
“We now have a filter type from Nicaragua and expresso beans from Mexico as well as a guest pour over list with coffee from Holland, Canada or Colombia.”
The young entrepreneur added that their roasting method makes Birch coffee unique, giving it higher acidity and a more fruity flavour.
Another thing that “elevates Birch coffee to another level” is the milk, which they source from Mossgiel, an organic and sustainable farm near Glasgow.
The café, which is only serving pastries at the moment, will also have a food menu from next week.
“We will change our food menu every week, but we’ll focus on quality sandwiches, toasties, soups and breakfast items such as granola,” Mr Munro explained.
The secret of Birch success
He believes that the key for a business to be successful is to be passionate about what you do.
“I genuinely think that the secret of Birch success is working with great people who all share love and passion for good coffee,” he said.
Another key feature of the new coffee shop is its minimalistic décor.
He explained: “I just love minimalism and I have always thought less is more in every aspect.”
Another Birch signature move is the cafe’s ceramic mugs, as Mr Munro believes that “coffee is more enjoyable when drank from a nice cup”.
The businessman hopes Birch will be a nice addition to Inverness city centre.
And his employee Grigor confirmed this has been the case on the opening day, with more than 100 customers in the first four hours.