Farm shop and cafe prepares for launch

A NEW farm shop and cafe which aims to sell food sourced as locally as possible is gearing up to launch this spring in the south mainland of Shetland.

The Mackenzie family, who own nearby crofting land as well as self-catering accommodation, hope to have the Cunningsburgh premises up and running in May – or whenever their lambing season is over.

The building also has office or business space for rent, with one of two rooms already booked out.

The venture will be partly funded by the EU-led LEADER programme and Shetland Islands Council.

Hazel Mackenzie said she hopes the shop/cafe will fill a void created by the closure of the village’s North Bridge Stores in 2013.

At least five staff will be employed in the premises, but that figure could rise to eight when part-time roles are factored in.

Mackenzie, a former chairwoman of the local NFU, said a “huge part” of the shop and cafe will be produce with “low food miles” that is sourced as locally as possible.

The family will provide a range of items themselves, including “beef, lamb, pork, eggs and vegetables”, and the building is surrounded by their grazing animals and land.

However, they will also buy in produce from all over Shetland to sell in the shop.

“There’s lots of polytunnels springing up and there are a lot of people who are growing a wee bit of anything, so we’ll hopefully be buying into that and getting their extras,” Mackenzie said.

The family already sell produce on a much smaller scale in the village and they say the shop/cafe has a lot of support locally.

“We’ve got an honesty box that we operate on Fridays,” Mackenzie said.

“We sell The Shetland Times, eggs, veg, some bread and milk and bits and pieces, so it’s just building on that. The locals are all behind it and they’re looking forward to it.”

The shop/cafe, which is located at the north end of Cunningsburgh, has been a long time coming for the family, with the planning process starting in 2014.

Nearly 30 parking places will be created at the site and all of the building work is being done by local companies.