New dog friendly coffee shop opening in Bristol
A new dog friendly coffee shop thought to be opening in Clifton, has confirmed it will in fact open on Bristol's Gloucester Road. Coffi Lab, which already boasts a coffee shop in Portishead and multiple locations in Wales, took to its social media pages to announce a brand new branch would be opening soon in the area.
Sharing a sweet graphic of a dog sitting on the Clifton Suspension Bridge, with hot air balloons in the distance, an Instagram post on Monday, September 16, said: "Don't want to leave you in Suspension... But can you guess where Lab No.10 is opening next?"
As the post stated, the shop will be Coffi Lab's 10th opening. Taking to the comments section, fans were quick to share their excitement. One wrote: "Ah Clifton... Amazing.. Woof Woof."
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Others tagged friends from the area to say: "Coffi Lab is coming your way!" One commenter added: "It's our favourite super dog friendly cafe. Lovely dog biscuits and they support guide dogs."
Later on in the day, Coffi Lab posted another message to its Instagram page to say: "New Lab announcement. We are so excited to announce that our very first Bristol Lab, The Big No.10, will be coming to 317 Gloucester Road."
The new shop is not to be confused with 'Coffee Lab', which is a Greek coffee franchise which opened up in a former hairdressers at 22 Gloucester Road, next to Blue Lagoon last year, and which also features an image of a dog on its shop front.
According to Coffi Lab's website, the team says: "When designing each new location we try to create a building that we hope is a gift to the neighbourhood. Each of our Labs is designed to highlight the specific history of its locality."
Founder James Shapland started Coffi Lab as a means of creating a 'home away from home' and where dogs could be welcomed 'with open arms', after having grown up with Labradors, and his best friend Dylan (one of his dogs) was the inspiration behind it all. He said: "Not a dog café as such, but beautiful, open venues - a focal point of leafy neighbourhoods where family and friends could come together without having to leave their canine companions at home.
"And then I asked myself what is it that makes Labradors so special. I jotted down all their magnificent virtues and we developed our Magnificent 7 which we try to emulate. Every day we try to be Fun, Kind, Loyal, Likeable, Determined, Dependable and Trustworthy.
"And then I thought what if we could make a real difference? Lead with a purpose? So we developed a social mission - to help Guide Dogs for the Blind. Whilst labs have given me tremendous joy I am mindful how they can literally be saviours to people where they need it most. So we raise money and awareness for this fabulous cause.
"Now I love coffee, as much as my labs. I love the taste, the history and the passion behind every cup. But what I love most about coffee is the way it can bring people together.
"A coffee shop environment provides a wonderful gathering place. Our stores are designed to be cosy yet sophisticated. A place to relax and savour one of life’s little pleasures."
Coffi Lab has its own coffee blend, hailing from Costa Rica. The Lab House Roast boasts flavours of milk chocolate, caramel and tangerine and, sourced exclusively for Coffi Lab, was chosen because of its 'signature sweetness'.