Owners of Fika in Oakham to open second café in Stamford High Street

A brother and sister team is bringing a new taste to the high street.

Teodora Naneva and Ivo Nanev took over Fika in Mill Street, Oakham just over a year ago and following some successful months of trading, set their sights on opening a second store.

Fika - a state of mind or attitude to make time for one another or yourself, have great coffee and eat well - is what the pair hopes to bring to Stamford.

Teodora, 23, said: “Stamford was always on the cards - it’s always busy on the high street.”

Ivo added: “We do already have customers who are from Stamford.

“So while we are not established there, enough people know about us - the name had reached that far.”

Fika serves coffee, a range of brunch dishes and lunch.

Ivo said: “I don’t think there’s anywhere doing brunch the way we do.

“There’s quite a few coffee shops [in Stamford], some are more old school, we wanted to try something more modern in terms of indulgent brunch.”

The pair plan to split their time between the towns and make sure they both spend shifts in the Oakham and Stamford branches.

They will also look to employ a team they trust as both of their schedules become busier with running two cafés.

While many people would dread working with a sibling, for Teodora and Ivo, it is a recipe for success.

Teodora said: “I think we both knew we would tell within a few months whether it was a huge mistake or a great decision.

“We would both say it’s been a really good idea as we have different strengths and weaknesses, we compliment each other in the way we work.”

Ivo added: “There’s nothing we really fundamentally disagree on, it’s more how we get there.”

The pair announced they would be bringing a store to Stamford on social media and since then have been overwhelmed with positive messages.

“It’s been better than we expected. We had a feeling it would come across as something quite exciting but it’s been really well-received,” said Teodora.

“The Instagram post was our most liked by quite some way.”

Teodora and Ivo have applied to Lincolnshire County Council for a pavement license to allow customers to dine outside the premises, which is the former Carphone Warehouse.

If given permission, this would allow six tables and 12 chairs to be situated directly outside of the café, when it opens in early October.

For more information, visit: www.fikacafe.co.uk