A new cafe offering healthy coffees and smoothies has opened in Truro, Cornwall with the help of a Start Up Loan through SWIG Finance.
Luxe, run by Leeann Griffith, specialises in natural skin and body treatments, and has now added a ground-floor bar serving adaptogenic and nootropic twists on hot and cold drinks.
Adaptogens, which are naturally occurring substances found in plants and fungi, are said to affect how the body deals with stress, anxiety and fatigue; common examples include ginseng, turmeric and ashwagandha. Nootropics such as ginkgo biloba and fish oils – often referred to as ‘cognitive enhancers’ – reputedly improve thinking, learning and memory.
Start Up Loans is part of the British Business Bank and offers personal loans of up to £25,000 and free mentoring to help anyone start or grow a new or early-stage business.
SWIG Finance is the Bank’s Business Support Partner for the government-backed programme in the South West, and last year alone delivered £7 million in Start Up Loan funding to over 400 new and early-stage businesses.
Leeann has been working from the first floor of the building in New Bridge Street since March last year [2024], offering natural and medical-grade skin treatments, as well as food intolerance and hormone testing (especially fertility and menopause).
Her interest in natural skincare was piqued while working as a dental nurse. “My boss sent me for training in Botox and fillers, but by the time I’d qualified, he’d changed his mind about offering them,” she recalls. “I didn’t particularly like Botox, but had started to research natural treatments, did more courses and found a new job with a surgery that wanted to offer aesthetics.”
Having taken the decision to go it alone after the pandemic, Leeann settled into her new premises and devised a menu of hot and cold drinks aimed at helping consumers’ physical and mental wellbeing. These are available to all customers, not just those taking treatments.
Shakes include high protein Choc-o-Luxe, containing banana, avocado, nut butter, collagen and raw cacao nibs; Matcha Power with blueberries and Clean Green with kale and mango. A range of adaptogenic black coffees and superfood lattes contains ingredients such as collagen, lion’s mane fungi, beetroot and peppermint.
“Unlike most mainstream stuff, which is full of refined sugar, these are natural and organic,” Leeann explains. “They taste amazing and are aimed at helping your body and mind, renewing your energy without a mid-afternoon caffeine or sugar slump.”
She also has plans to offer food, including pastries from native grains and a selection of sourdough sandwiches and toasted bagels.
Leeann borrowed £4,000 for cashflow and the cost of an employee to staff the bar. “I’m a single mum-of-two, so I needed a bit of extra help. Bank interest rates were really high. SWIG was a good experience. Jo was lovely and it was nice to have a more personal approach, rather than an algorithm.”
Senior Start-Up Loans Manager Jo MacEachen was introduced to Leeann by the Cornish business support scheme Access to Finance. “Leeann has recognised a new industry trend, with people far more conscious of what they put into their bodies and how it affects their health,” says Jo. “She’s proved the market is there, and needed Start-Up Loan funding to finalise her launch.
“She’s been fantastic to work with and is clearly ready for the next stage in her business. I wish her every success, and will definitely be heading to Luxe for a fortifying shake the next time I go shopping in Truro.”
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