The branch will open later this year
A new specialist coffee shop is set to open in a Cambridgeshire town following requests from locals. Alistaire Ryan and Dan Heath will be opening the new Roost Coffee House branch at Scampers Natural Pet Store in Soham this year.
The business, which launched its first branch in Fordham late last year, has seen great success since its opening. The owners of Roost Coffee House have been friends since they met at secondary school. The idea for the business came about when the pair decided that “Fordham really did need a specialist coffee shop” as well as a “space for the community”.
Following the success of the business’s first branch, the pair decided to embark on an expansion. According to co-owner Mr Heath, 36, a location in Soham had been highly requested by locals, with the location being in the “pipeline for quite a while”. He said that “before we even launched, we had people email asking us to open up a branch in Soham”.
Scampers is on the Northfield Business Park, just off the A142 bypass. Talking about its location, Mr Heath said: “Soham is somewhere that we looked at as a really good opportunity for us firstly because of the size of it. It has a population of nearly 13,500 people and we felt the demographic of people there really fitted our brand at Roost.”
He said that it has ended up being “the perfect location” to enable their expansion. He said the pair are “very happy to say that we cater to all, whether that’s kids all the way up to senior citizens”. Mr Heath said the “inclusivity is what we pride ourselves on”.
Since the public launch, the 36-year-old co-owner said the reaction has been “amazing”. The coffee offered at the business is locally roasted in Littleport and he said the quality of their food is “fantastic”.
The new site is four times larger than the Roost store in Fordham, meaning more tables, space and opportunities for the business. As part of the expansion, Roost Coffee House will be offering breakfast and lunch menus alongside its well-approved cakes, bakes, pastries, milkshakes, and of course, coffees.
Describing what he feels makes Roost Coffee House so special, Mr Heath said: “Roost is warm, welcoming, inclusive and we cover something for everybody whether that’s drinks, food and atmosphere, it’s a place for all and we’re really excited to take our brand into a new place, new town and hopefully continue to grow.”
Roost Coffee House will open its store in winter 2026 but an official opening date is yet to be confirmed. Scampers Natural Pet Store offers everything from natural pet foods, treats, toys, grooming and an in-house veterinarian. Being pet lovers themselves, the owners will be making the café dog-friendly.
The operating branch in Fordham has built a strong reputation, with an almost perfect rating of 4.9 stars out of five on Google. One customer described it as a “cosy” place that serves “smooth, aromatic” coffee and bakes which are a “constant temptation”.
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