A FAMILY has joined forces to open a new roastery in Kendal with hopes of offering a ‘one-stop shop’ for all things tea and coffee.

Gina and Dave Pennington both worked at Farrer’s prior to deciding to go it alone with Pennington’s Tea and Coffee.

The couple, along with son Dean, Dave’s brother Craig and Craig’s wife Rhoda are all involved in the venture.

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“I learnt a lot about the coffee and know lots of people in the Lake District, Gina said, of her decision to start the business after 28 years at Farrer’s. “I just thought maybe it was the time to set up on our own.”

Pennington’s is sourcing the green coffees from around the world and roasts them in Kendal. The company supplies hand-picked traditional teas both in loose-leaf form and in tea bag boxes.

“It was not my aspiration when I was growing up that I would run a tea and coffee roastery,” Gina said. “But things in life fall into place it’s such a natural product. It’s a lovely product to work with and people in the industry are really nice and we deal with lovely businesses in the Lake District and it’s just a really nice job to have.”

Pennington’s is also offering branded merchandise and coffee and tea subscriptions.

“There’s more small roasteries,” Gina said, explaining how she thought the industry had changed over the years. “There’s more competition than there was 10 years ago. I think people are getting a lot more discerning about what they put in their cup.”

The business is based at Unit 12, Kendal Business Park and is set to open in the next couple of weeks.

“It’s very exciting and scary because we are starting up from scratch,” said Gina. “But we cannot wait to get going.”