Lockdown greengrocer to stay permanently after proving a success

After transforming into a greengrocers to help people during the coronavirus crisis, a Harleston coffee house has decided to retain the service.

Mike Chappell has been supplying people in the town and the wider area with fruit and vegetables out of The Apiary Cake and Coffee House since the business was forced to close in late March.

After proving a huge success with residents, the 51-year-old has decided to make the greengrocers a permanent service, working in conjunction with his coffee house – giving the crisis one if its first silver linings in south Norfolk.

Mr Chappell, who was a greengrocer before taking over the The Apiary in October last year, said: “We couldn’t afford to close, because, if we had to, we would have had to cut all our staff.

“We noticed there was a need for a delivery service, and we wanted to help the community.

“This was never about making money, but making sure the community has a service it can truly rely on.

“We’re hearing people can’t get an online slot from supermarkets for three or four weeks, but we’re getting our orders out within 48 hours, and fulfilling 99 per cent of the orders to exactly what people are asking for.”

With the help of nearby web designers Ulric Web Design, a menu containing fruit, vegetables, eggs, juices and cheeses went up on the Apiary Coffee House website, allowing customers to register their orders online.

Alongside his small handful of staff and partner Nicola, who is on furlough from her job as a salesperson, Mr Chappell has been delivering to anyone within a 15-mile radius of the shop, which is located in The Thoroughfare in Harleston, with the assistance of a volunteer truck driver.

“We’ve been so surprised by the uptake, and we haven’t had one piece of negative feedback,” added Mr Chappell.

“We’ve about 25 orders going out every day. It’s been an eye opener for all of us.”

The father-of-two said that the decision to make the greengrocers permanent was suggested by customers.

“We were asked by the people here if we can keep the greengrocers open after this is all over,” he said.

“The staff here will have a lot more to do, but we’ll be applying for a grant to pay for some of the changes we need.

“We’ve made the best of a bad situation, and all the staff working with me have been behind me all the way.”