New owners of Inverness city centre cafe reveal reason they bought the business

The new owners of a popular cafe in Inverness city centre have spoken of their determination in retaining the street’s retail diversity.

Maree Fowler and Seb Wolfe took over Blend café in Drummond Street earlier this month after previous owner Gemma Taylor sold up in the wake of a devastating flat fire in which her former partner died.

Maree (35) and Seb (31), who run Highland Hyacinth Fine Jewellery & Piercing just a few doors away, said they wanted to see the street keep its diversity of small businesses and decided to step in to save the cafe along with the jobs of its staff.

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Maree said they spotted the cafe was up for sale via social media.

“We were not actively looking for a second business - it just happened,” she explained.

Seb maintained it was a labour of love for the couple who were also regular customers before taking it on.

“We didn’t want to see the street deteriorate any more,” he said.

“We didn’t want to see another unit close. Things change on this street quite often.

“Cafes are a stable part of the community, especially a cafe which has been running for 11 years.

“It seemed a shame to let it close, or for someone else to turn it into something which was not as good for the community.”

The pair had not wanted to see the unit turned into another vape shop, for example.

Although they have renamed it Blended Brew Inverness, they insist it will not change in character or ethos and will continue to be run by the four-strong team including Gemma who is staying on to ensure a smooth handover.

“We just wanted Blend to stay as Blend and for the four to keep their jobs,” Seb said.

“It is a labour of love and respect to keep the business running as the same Blend but as Blended Brew.

He pointed out that he and Maree also have their body piercing studio to run.

“It is difficult to juggle which is why we have the team at Blend,” he said.

“Gemma will be there for a while, essentially helping to hand over to us. She knows all the inner workings.

“We will let her step down when she is ready.

“This was Gemma’s baby which she grew and created.”

While there may be some changes such as the signage, essentially it will remain the same including its laid-back atmosphere and sense of inclusivity.

“The inclusivity is going to stay,” Seb said.

“It is something we are very proud of in our piercing studio.

“We welcome any one of all races and types.”

With their studio nearby, the pair are well acquainted with the menu with Maree describing it as her “go to” place at lunchtime, especially with its range of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.

“We are so busy here, we don’t get a lot of time to go out and get lunch,” she said.

Certainly, the prospect of losing her favourite item, the satay wrap, was another motivating factor in acquiring the business!

Seb, on the other hand, admits to “doing a lot of cake” - whether it is chocolate, funfetti or cherry Bakewell cake - along with caramel lattes.

The couple, who opened their jewellery and piercing shop in 2022 with a mission to put their stamp on Inverness, first met at body piercing conference in Germany.

Seb is originally from Newcastle while Inverness-born Maree has worked in locations including Dubai, Denmark, London, Northern Ireland and Aberdeen.

Blend was founded in the summer of 2013 by Gemma Taylor and her partner, Andy Adams, who first met when they worked together at Rocpool Reserve in Inverness.

Mr Adams died when a blaze broke out in Gemma’s flat above a row of shops in Tomatin Road, Hilton, in the early hours of July 11 last year.

Several days later, Gemma reopened the cafe out of financial necessity although she said later she was reluctantly seeking to step away from the business.

In an interview with the Inverness Courier in October, she said the impact of that night had made her reassess her priorities in life.

At the time, she acknowledged it would be difficult to let go of Blend as it was a big part of her life and the building contained so many memories but she felt she needed to take time off and to step away from being in charge of somewhere.

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