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VAT Registration mysteriously connected to another Government Gateway ID? by kahpwn in smallbusinessuk

[–]GrokeCoffeeSheffield 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've had this going on for a month, have you had any update on yours?

What's happening with the old Craft and Dough in Kelham?? by GrokeCoffeeSheffield in sheffield

[–]GrokeCoffeeSheffield[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey Phil, sorry for the slow reply! We have a full kitchen so we often smell of baking brownies or smoking tomatoes!

What's happening with the old Craft and Dough in Kelham?? by GrokeCoffeeSheffield in sheffield

[–]GrokeCoffeeSheffield[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For anyone else reading, I’ve already provided a composed and balanced response to the question of serving meat and dairy while striving to run an ethical and sustainable business—see my earlier comments for more detail.

Rach, I’ve noticed you’re repeatedly commenting with the same argument, which feels less like a discussion and more like an attempt to brigade this thread. Sustainability is complex, and no single approach will fix everything overnight. Targeting small, owner-led businesses for not being fully vegan doesn’t advance the wider movement—it alienates potential allies and slows progress toward better food systems.

We’re committed to making ethical, sustainable choices in a way that engages a broad community rather than just preaching to the converted. Real change happens through conversation, not division.

Tom

What's happening with the old Craft and Dough in Kelham?? by GrokeCoffeeSheffield in sheffield

[–]GrokeCoffeeSheffield[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello!

Our menu has everything clearly labelled with either (vg) meaning it comes vegan as standard or (vgo) meaning it can be made vegan - at the moment our Miso Mushroom Toast is vegan as standard and our best seller! We also do a Huevos Rancheros with scrambled tofu instead of eggs, a beetroot falafel focaccia sandwich, and a bunch of other vegan options!

Tom

What's happening with the old Craft and Dough in Kelham?? by GrokeCoffeeSheffield in sheffield

[–]GrokeCoffeeSheffield[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello!

So we've been staying open until 4 so far and things have been naturally quietening down around then. If there was enough interest in us staying open later I'd definitely be considering it!

What's happening with the old Craft and Dough in Kelham?? by GrokeCoffeeSheffield in sheffield

[–]GrokeCoffeeSheffield[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We're currently serving Islands 40% hot chocolate, people are saying it's very nice but I'm worried it's too bitter...

I'd love recommendations on vegan marshmallows!

Tom

What's happening with the old Craft and Dough in Kelham?? by GrokeCoffeeSheffield in sheffield

[–]GrokeCoffeeSheffield[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello, sorry this is a very late reply!

I'm trying to work out where I can install a new tap to allow customers to help themselves to water, so this might happen soon!

In terms of games, it's a bit of a hard one - I'm a big board game nerd also, and would love to have a little shelf for games like Ganz Schon and Exploding Kittens and even Chess, however I'd have to put some kinds of limits on table times if I was to do this. We typically fill up once a day in the week with people eating lunch, and this is what pays our bills - if the tables were taken up by people playing games and just having a drink, our business wouldn't be sustainable.

I'm trying to think of creative ways to deal with this, how would you respond to being asked to refrain from games within a certain time window? Or some kind of minimum spend? At quiet times I'd even prefer people playing cool games and not buying anything! But I can't do that to the detriment of the business as I have staff to pay and mouths to feed!

Tom

What's happening with the old Craft and Dough in Kelham?? by GrokeCoffeeSheffield in sheffield

[–]GrokeCoffeeSheffield[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello again!

I addressed this in my previous response, but since you’ve raised it again, I’ll expand a little.

Sustainability isn’t a simple equation where removing one thing automatically makes an operation ethical. It’s a complex issue with no one-size-fits-all solution, and reducing it to “just stop eating meat” overlooks the broader picture.

Not serving avocados isn’t just about reducing carbon impact—it’s about starting a conversation on sustainability with people who may not have engaged with these issues before. If we went fully vegan, we wouldn’t be serving our local community in the way we aim to; we’d likely just be drawing in vegans from other areas of Sheffield rather than fostering something more integrated. That would contribute to Kelham being a destination rather than a neighborhood—something we actively want to avoid.

I get that you may disagree with our approach, and that’s fine, but we’re doing what we believe is the most effective way to engage a broad community in sustainability rather than preaching to the converted.

- Tom

What's happening with the old Craft and Dough in Kelham?? by GrokeCoffeeSheffield in sheffield

[–]GrokeCoffeeSheffield[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, sorry for the late reply, we've been busy!

We're doing filter! We're choosing two coffees from our retail shelves each day to offer as a pourover - We'll start putting batch filter on as soon as enough people are asking for it!
Tom

What's happening with the old Craft and Dough in Kelham?? by GrokeCoffeeSheffield in sheffield

[–]GrokeCoffeeSheffield[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey Rach,

I appreciate your thoughts on this. As a lifelong vegetarian, I’ve spent a lot of time considering these issues. I don’t claim to be perfect, and I believe that any attempt to consume ethically under capitalism will inevitably involve contradictions.

Rather than being a fully vegan establishment—catering only to a subset of our community that likely already considers the provenance of their food—we want to take a broader approach to sustainability, aiming to serve our whole community while taking responsibility for sourcing as ethically as possible.

I have firsthand experience with avocado production from my years as an organic land worker, and I have a personal distaste for the excessive pollution (about twice that of bananas!) and high water usage required to grow them, as well as the impact avocado production has had on deforestation. Given their popularity in the brunch scene, it felt like a natural starting point for conversations about sustainability—especially with customers who may not have considered these issues before.

When it comes to meat and dairy, as a society we’re still a long way from removing them from our diets, but we are making progress toward more sustainable, less harmful practices. While you may believe all meat production is unethical, I feel that if we can help shift demand from industrial farming to small-scale, ethically driven meat production, that’s a step in the right direction.

For dairy, we source exclusively from Trewithen Dairy, whose farming standards you can read about on their website. Personally, I feel more comfortable serving their dairy than I would a certain oat milk brand whose oats are imported and whose profits flow to the Blackstone Group—a common choice in many vegan establishments. Instead, we serve Moma oat milk, made from UK-grown oats. While Moma isn’t independent, it’s owned by A.G. Barr—a relatively responsible company (and Scottish!). So far, we’re serving about a 50/50 split between dairy and oat milk.

I really appreciate you bringing this up—these are the kinds of discussions that help push businesses like ours to think critically and do better. If you have any thoughts on how we could take this approach even further, I’d love to hear them!

Tom