Wholesale Clients In The Spotlight

Let’s meet another one of our wholesale customers, the brilliant Jetty in Broadstairs!

We had a chat with Christian about how it all started, how the cafe customers enjoy their Lost Sheep Speciality Coffee and what you can expect when visiting them.

Tell us about yourselves! How did Jetty begin?
I am Christian Miles, married to Jane, with 4 boys, Henry 22, Ed 21, Billy 19 and Freddy 13. I was born in Ramsgate and previously founded and ran Miles & Barr Estate Agency.
Warren is married to Tracy. They are also local and have 4 children, Jordan, Tyler, Isaac and Caine, plus 2 beautiful granddaughters. Warren is a Director of Roe Limited.
So there you have it, an Estate Agent and a Bricklayer coming together to open a Bistro!
I always had a hidden desire to be involved in a cafe/restaurant business and when I had the opportunity to sell out of Miles & Barr I noticed that this was available and on the market. Anyhow, Warren and I have been friends for 25 years or so and we play squash against each other. At the end of one particular game ( I think I let him win that one) I discussed the opportunity with him telling him my one concern was the amount of work it required to make it into the place I envisioned and that it deserves to be! After a few more conversations and subtle, yet tenaciously chasing of the previous owner for over a year to get the deal over the line, we have ended up as 50/50 partners.
Interesting, is that the business/property was on the market for 3 years but if I have been told once by friends or acquaintances that they had dreamed of owning the Jetty, I have been told a thousand times. That’s positive and gives me confidence that our investment is worth it.
Mandy who is managing Jetty has been a friend of mine since we were kids and just like Warren and I is a peoples person. She is the bubbliest person I know and she sees loads of potential and opportunity. Like us, she just loves being down there!
What made you choose Lost Sheep Coffee as your coffee provider?
We chose Lost Sheep for a number of reasons. First, Lost Sheep is local and environmentally friendly, that’s important to us! The name and branding are really cool and attracted us to call you!
Then meeting Stuart, we all felt an affinity with him and saw firsthand the passion he has for his coffee. As opposed to every other coffee supplier we saw, Stuart didn’t tell us how great his coffee was, he knew we didn’t have a coffee machine at the time and he brought his own mobile machine so that we could actually taste the coffee. Just like we hope to do, he went above and beyond our expectations. Incidentally, the coffee isn’t bad either!!!
Other than great-tasting coffee, why should people come and visit Jetty?
You should visit the Jetty because it is a stunning location with incredible views over Broadstairs Harbour and beyond. Added to that is that we are spending lots of time, love and money on refurbishing Jetty into a cool, relaxing place to visit and will offer an assortment of local dishes, complimented by our favourite summer wines. We also have a take-out service offering chefs favourite street and seafood and a bistro with Al Fresco dining for breakfast, lunch and an evening meal.
If you weren’t running Jetty, what would you be doing instead?
If I wasn’t running the Jetty I would probably be on the same old treadmill as I have been for the last 30 years. Estate Agency is all I have known in my working life, so this is really exciting (and scary) to do something so completely different!
Finally, what’s your go-to song on the ultimate coffee shop soundtrack?
My Ultimate coffee shop soundtrack for me at the Jetty...
My cultured self would say 'Once in a Lifetime' by Talking Heads
My true self would say 'Club Tropicana' by Wham!
What a shame that I believe honesty is the best policy!”