A husband and wife have opened a gelato and dessert parlour - after scooping a five-figure funding package from NatWest.
Keren and Keith Masters used the finance from the bank, alongside a personal investment, to acquire the 10-year lease for a premises in Cheadle High Street, in Stoke-on-Trent.
The pair spent the last two months fitting out the former estate agents building, including the installation of state-of-the-art freezers and specialist equipment for making and serving gelato.
Now Gelato and Cakes is officially open for business.
The dine-in and takeaway parlour will serve gelato, freshly made with milk sourced from local dairy Wheat Brothers, which is owned by their son-in-law Michael Wheat.
Customers will be able to choose from a range of 18 regularly changing flavours from traditional vanilla to lemon gin. Waffles, crepes and ice cream cakes will also be on the menu.
Keren said: “It has always been our ambition to establish a business that offers something unique but local.
"By utilising the surplus milk from a local dairy, we can create high-quality gelato, as well as serving other homemade desserts.
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“Thanks to the funding from NatWest, we have been able to transform a previously unused shop on Cheadle High Street, into an inviting dessert parlour that we hope will become an important part of the Cheadle community.”
Keren and Keith previously ran the local bakery The Bread Basket in Cheadle for 10 years before it was sold in 2018.
They now run Gelato and Cakes with their daughter and a team of three full and part-time staff.
Karen Smith, NatWest relationship manager, said: “We have worked closely with Keren and Keith over the past few months to ensure they have the funding and support required to open their family business.
"Gelato and Cakes is different from anything else on Cheadle High Street and we wish them every success as they establish themselves over the coming months.”