In this exclusive interview, I sat down with Deniz Akbaşoğlu, the co-founder of The Marquise Coffee Shop, to explore the journey behind this beloved family-run business. Founded by Deniz and her mother, The Marquise Coffee Shop is more than just a place to grab a coffee or pastry—it's a fusion of passion, family tradition, and a deep commitment to sustainability. Deniz, a Business Management graduate from the University of Greenwich, found herself at a crossroads when deciding on her career path.

However, her love for travel and exposure to diverse culinary cultures, coupled with her mother's passion for coffee, sparked the idea of creating a unique café experience. From sourcing speciality coffee beans through meaningful relationships with farmers to offer a balanced menu that caters to a variety of dietary preferences, The Marquise stands out in the crowded London café scene. Deniz shares insights into how their family dynamic has shaped the business, the challenges they've overcome, and their ongoing commitment to minimizing food waste. Join us as we delve into the story of The Marquise Coffee Shop, where tradition meets innovation, and every cup is brewed with care and purpose.

Nicolle: What inspired you and your mother to start The Marquise Coffee Shop, and how has your family dynamic influenced the business's development? 

After studying Business Management at the University of Greenwich, the profession I would pursue was a big question mark. Thanks to my family, I have had the opportunity to visit many countries and cities for as long as I can remember. During these trips, I was introduced to different tastes in each country I visited. My mother loves coffee-focused products, while I love tea-focused products, and my father motivated us by saying why don't we combine this hobby with a business?

Nicolle: Can you elaborate on how you source your speciality coffee beans and the relationships you’ve built with the farmers who grow them?

Special days have always been important to me, and I have always made a point of organizing an event on these days, and that is how we met our roaster. 2 years ago, as a gift for my mother on Mother's Day, I bought a ticket to Denbies Wine Estate, which is close to London, with a 1-night stay. While staying there that night, I saw on the map that the building next door was a roastery and importer called Chimney Fire Coffee, and we went to meet them the next day. I felt like we would work together the moment we walked into the roastery. Their energy and passion for what they do really impressed us. So, this Mother's Day trip gifted us a wonderful business partnership.

Nicolle: How do you balance offering a variety of fresh bakery and pastry options, including vegan and gluten-free, while maintaining the quality and taste that The Marquise is known for?

One of the facts, I believe missing in London is the lack of cafes with balanced menus. My mother is a pescatarian and I don’t consume red meat. When we go to a cafe with our friends and family, either there are very few vegan/gluten-free options, and we have a hard time finding something to eat or our friends can’t find anything to eat because the cafe is completely vegan. We focus a lot on this issue at Marquise. We believe that our products cater to every preference.  Our best-selling products right now are Mushroom, Sausage and Vegan Rolls, Peanut Butter Blondie (vegan and gluten-free) and Blueberry Bakewell (vegan). It took us over a year searching to find the best suppliers for our offerings.  In addition, the content of the menu is not the only important issue we care about but also food handling. To open a cafe, you need to get a health and hygiene certificate. In that training, you already receive training on what kind of refrigerator layout you should have or how to use different colours tongs, knives and chopping boards for each product. This means we also care that none of the products touch each other from the start of the preparation process until the customer’s plate.

Nicolle: What specific practices do you employ at The Marquise to minimize food waste, and how do these align with your broader environmental and ethical values?

All of our bakery products are baked daily at Marquise. Every week, we follow the sales statistics of the previous week and prepare our products accordingly for the new week. This also prevents a great deal of waste.  Apart from that, we work with Too Good To Go. Every evening, half an hour before our closing time, we put our products that will not continue the next day into surprise bags and make them ready for collection from the app.  Recycling provides many benefits to our environment. This is why all the cups we use are either recyclable or have been recycled. We care about how to create a healthier planet for ourselves and future generations.

Nicolle: How has your focus on sustainability and minimizing food waste resonated with your customers, and have you seen an impact on their habits or preferences?

There is no waste in the unsold food as we use the Too Good To Go App.  Any food waste that can occur is when sold food is left on the plate. Offering a fresh and delicious example of what the customer has chosen ensures that all of the offerings have been consumed. Additionally, we carefully adjust the size of each offering so that it is filling but not so large that it is left on the plate. Our customers notice our care and dedication in this matter, and we like to believe that the big smile and “Thank You” while they are leaving the shop is partly due to this.

Nicolle: What challenges have you faced as a mother-daughter team running a family business, and how have you overcome them while maintaining a strong partnership?

My mother has always been my best friend. She is the greatest support in my life. It was not difficult for us to add a work relationship to the mother-daughter relationship. Especially since we divide the tasks into 2, we do not have conflicting issues. But of course, since I do not have much experience due to my age (I’m 26), I need my mother's experience more in many areas.  Since we also consider Marquise as our home, it is a pleasure for us to get ready for each new day at work.

Nicolle: Looking forward, how do you envision The Marquise evolving in the next few years, both in terms of your product offerings and your commitment to sustainability?

For instance, last year, with the ban on plastic waste, alternative products were produced for cold drinks. As the world develops itself, we will continue to develop ourselves. We are very happy with our current position and customer feedback. We believe that everything is going well. We will certainly be searching for opportunities to evolve and change our menu to keep our customers satisfied and introduce them to new tastes. Also, we are always open to new ideas and feedbacks.

Follow the coffee shop on IG here and visit their website at http://themarquise.co.uk/

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Nicolle Knapova is a 30-year-old young adult writer and freelance blogger from the Czech Republic. She has a master’s degree in Creative Writing and Publishing at Bournemouth University. She loves to write about music, books and TV shows. If she’s not writing her fan fiction, she’s writing her poetry and sharing it on her Instagram @elisecaverly.