Funding helps Cardiff café cater for success

Independent café, Wildflower Kitchen, has opened its doors in Cardiff after securing a five-figure funding package from NatWest.

Entrepreneur Celyn Baker obtained £50,000 in finance from NatWest to help acquire the 250 sq m premises on Whitchurch Road and transform the former Greek restaurant into a 80-cover café.

Offering all-day brunch, a range of homemade cakes and lunch, the menu has been developed to change with the seasons including hot pots in winter and a daily-changing salad bar. The café sources all its ingredients from local suppliers and makes its own produce including jams and chutneys.

Wildflower Kitchen has retail space for local artists to sell their work and features a dedicated co-working zone with charging points and high stools. A separate room is also available for private functions, including meetings and clubs, accommodating groups of up to 18 with catering included.

Celyn has been baking for 10 years and for the last three years, ran a café in the grounds of Insole Court Manor House, building a reputation with the local community for her high-quality food. She will run the café alongside a team of four staff, with ambitions to expand as the business grows.

In October, Celyn joined the Cardiff NatWest Accelerator Hub, a program designed to support entrepreneurs with business advice, mentoring, bespoke coaching, and access to the bank’s networks and supply chains.

Celyn said: “The funding and support from NatWest has enabled me to open a great space that perfectly accommodates private parties as well as our regular customers. We have a great independent scene in Cardiff and we are so excited to be in the heart of the city bringing local ingredients and a quality menu to our customers seven days a week.”

Andrew Tummon, relationship manager at NatWest, said: “Celyn is a great example of a young female entrepreneur and we are proud to support Wildflower Kitchen as it officially opens its doors. Celyn is an experienced baker who is passionate about food and we look forward to supporting the business at it grows over the coming months.”