An Altrincham entrepreneur has pivoted her cafe to become a deli and mini market as a direct result of the COVID 19 pandemic .
Her “Off The Wheaten Track“ cafe which opened in April 2019 had been building up a successful trade. Coeliacs and people requiring a gluten free diet were travelling for miles to sit down for a stress-free meal, prepared in an entirely gluten-free kitchen.
However, when lockdown and social distancing was announced, Hayley took radical steps to maintain her business.
The former relocation manager for the BBC began sourcing a wide range of food products that can be tolerated and enjoyed by coeliacs and those requiring a gluten free diet. Currently there are 150 such products on the shelves with the innovative entrepreneur having an ambition to grow that number to 400 by Christmas.
The 26 tables and chairs have made way for chillers, cabinets and shelving to showcase everything from local cheeses from independent makers through to unique flavours of ice cream.
Such is the demand that Hayley offers a home delivery service, including freshly baked goods made in the gluten-free Oxford Road kitchens, to a growing database of customers.
“I’ve had to adapt the business dramatically and I’m confident that I’ve done the right thing by curating an extensive range of mouth-watering gluten free foods all in one place. We’ll continue to create our popular lunches as takeaways and hope that shoppers are impressed with the incredible dishes that can be made with the ingredients we stock. By being agile we have created a deli and mini market that will attract those who need to be careful with their food intakes and the wider community looking for tasty and healthy foodstuffs.”
