Coffee roasting business opens second premises with support from council

A new coffee roasting business has opened its doors in Wakefield city centre.

Leader of Wakefield Council, Councillor Denise Jeffery, cut the ribbon to launch Recent Beans in Westgate Wakefield, which has established its second premises after opening in Queen’s Mill, Castleford in 2020.

Cllr Jeffery said: “I am really pleased Wakefield Council has been able to support Recent Beans to expand and the new roastery is a great addition to our city centre.

“From grants to support the purchasing of equipment to property searching, this is a great example of how we can work with business to boost our local economy and bring another great brand to our city centre.”

Gaz Poole, director of Recent Beans, said: “We are really pleased  with the support we’ve had from the council to open a new branch in Wakefield, where we look forward to welcoming customers who can enjoy fresh, barista style coffee, purchase our freshly roasted beans and see demonstrations of how we prepare the beans.”

Recent Beans is in Upper Westgate, where a £3.8m High Street Heritage Action Zones project is underway co-funded by the council and Historic England to preserve the buildings for future generations.

The partnership scheme offers grants to owners of historic buildings along the street to repair and revitalise their properties and also includes a cultural programme.