Cocoa Mountain cafe at Balnakeil Craft Village goes on the market with offers over £200,000 invited
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Cocoa Mountain cafe and shop in Durness has been put on the market, it has emerged.
Offers of over £200,000 are invited for the 50-cover cafe, located in a prime spot at the entrance to Balnakeil Craft Village.
The business has been run for the last 16 years or so by chocolatiers Paul Maden and James Findlay, who also have a Cocoa Mountain outlet in Dornoch.
Mr Maden said that the company’s main production factory was now centred in Perth and it made business sense to concentrate its own cafe operations in a smaller property it owns in Durness.
“The cafe we are selling is really a little goldmine with a turnover of more than £350,000 before the pandemic and with those levels now returning,” he said.
“The problem has been getting staff that far north. We have had no shortage of customers, including celebrities. It really is a great investment for the right person, but staffing is an issue.”
Durness is home to just 350 people, so staff have invariably to be sourced from further afield.
The cafe, at Unit 2, Craft Village, which previously served as the Loch Croispal Bookshop, comes with a potential housing plot with stunning views.
Selling agents McEwan Fraser Legal says the package represents a “very rare opportunity”.
A description states: “The unit is spacious in size and freshly decorated both internally and externally, offering a turnkey investment for any potential purchaser to run a business in one of the most beautiful areas in the UK.
“The unit sits on a larger than average plot with a large rear garden and is directly at the entrance of the craft village which is a popular area visited by both locals and tourists alike.”
The sellers point out that an outdoor paved area provides space for 40 covers in addition to the 50 inside.
The quirky craft village, a former RAF Cold War camp, is home to a range of local artists and businesses, including a hairdresser and art galleries as well as paintings and prints, ceramics, woodwork, and glass studios.
Visitors to Cocoa Mountain over the years have included comedians Alex Horne and John Copper Clarke.
