The Caffeine Drip has won accolades from PETA and TripAdvisor

South African cafe and bakery The Caffeine Drip has closed its doors to customers after a tough winter, with last week’s treacherous weather proving the final straw for owners Christopher and Darius Wedge who lost out on £7,000 in takings.

Christopher, 36, said: “After putting up a good fight we still didn’t manage to keep our business going.

“The current climate for small businesses is pretty tough. Increasing utility bills, wages, VAT, rent rising and the cost of products going up.

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“The bad weather meant we had to close the cafe and we lost £7,000 on sales last week.

“We also noticed December and January had not been as good as previous years.

“Having spoken to a few liquidators, they say we are not the only small business to fall victims to this.”

The well-loved cafe has been serving up brews on Melville Place for three-and-a-half years, enjoying success as the PETA Sweet Treat Winner 2017 and earning a Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor.

The owners said they could no longer continue with daily running costs of £481 and had to let their 14 members of staff go on Sunday.

Christopher said: “We have been very popular but the fees were going up and we couldn’t put our prices up for the customers. It was really sad for us. It has taken a long time to establish a brand for it now to be taken away. I now have to look for another job, I’ve not worked for someone else for 11 years.

“A daily cost of £481 is huge before you even take any money from customers.

“Over the years we have fed thousands of people, made thousands of coffees for all you coffee addicts.

“We would like to thank you for all your love and support over the years. This is the end of an era. We would like to say the biggest thank you to our team who were the best.”

Christopher feels there is a lack of support for small companies and there will be more to follow The Caffeine Drip in shutting down in the coming months.

Customers shared their disappointment at the closure with Christopher thanking them for their loyal support.

He added: “I think people liked us because we were very flexible and let customers have their food and drink how they wanted it. We also catered well for vegetarians and vegans.

“The voluntary decision was made last week which was really sad.

“I’ve helped run this business 24/7 for the last three-and-a-half years which takes a lot of hard work.

“Times are changing with the digital age where people want deliveries and firms such as Uber Eats charge 35 per cent commission.

“It is with great sadness and heartache that we have had to cease trading.