A family owned business in Lincolnshire says 'it's a balancing act' right now with costs rising
From staffing, to running a roastery and catering service, Stokes Tea and Coffee in Lincoln, have seen the far reaching impacts of price increases hit all sectors of the business.
The cost of energy crisis is unsettling to the hospitality sector, with one Lincolnshire family company considering how long they can cope without support.
Stokes High Bridge cafe in Lincoln has 120 years of experience, having encountered many dips in the economy but this time is said to be different.
The rising prices of produce, energy, food and simply living is beginning to squeeze the company. With Nikki Bawn, the marketing manager saying it's a difficult position to be in:
"The price of a cup of coffee has climbed tremendously for us to produce that cup of coffee, but our customers don't have that in their pockets to pay for that coffee. So it's that balance of trying to make sure we continue to pay our wages, pay our energy costs, while serving a great product.
"You know we've always been a pro-active business. The motivation previously has always been about making sure we don't waste energy, we don't waste water, we don't impact our environment. But now the motivation is just really trying hard to protect our customers from the price tags that we're experiencing."
Stokes also pride themselves on sustainability, which they hope in the long term will benefit them further.