The 'artisan' coffee chain that began in a tiny Lancashire railway station cupboard and now sells 25,000 sandwiches a year

A 'special' café that began its journey in a broom cupboard at a Lancashire railway station now sells 150,000 drinks a year and makes an estimated £1.5m annual turnover.

The idea was sparked when Jason Cotillard's late husband, a ticket officer at Northern, casually mentioned a small station master's office at Poulton-le-Fylde station that was barely being used as a storage room. This concept has since been replicated in places like Blackpool, Bolton and Rochdale.

Jason, who was working in the music industry at the time, saw potential in the 3m by 3m space and suggested transforming it into a community-focused coffee shop. In 2011, Le Feast welcomed customers for the first time at the beloved station.

"I'm like a dog with a bone sometimes," Jason said. "It was just this tiny room at the bottom of the stairs between the two platforms that was literally filled with rubbish. I just saw that it would make a great coffee shop and that's, essentially, where it all came from really."

For nine years, the coffee shop, which opened every weekday morning at 5.30am, served thousands of customers with coffee, slices of cake, and freshly-prepared sandwiches, each proudly displaying 'made with love' stickers along with the name of the staff member who had prepared it. In 2020, the pandemic struck and Jason found himself jobless from the music industry.

However, he and his business partner Jeremy Clark saw this challenging time as an opportunity to expand Le Feast beyond Poulton. They noticed a vacant unit at Blackpool North station and decided to open their second cafe there in June 2021.

"We just saw it as a chance to take a punt on things really," Jason told the M.E.N. "We're not a national brand or anything, so it takes a bit of time for people to build up trust with us and change habits, but we've managed to have some really loyal commuters.

"We knew that if we set the bar really high in terms of our customer service and the level of quality of the products we use, we would have something really special to offer people."

Fortunately, the Blackpool cafe was an instant hit and led to Jason, Jeremy, and operations manager Brenden Wilkinson opening more sites at Rochdale station in February 2023 and at Bolton station last December.

"I guess some people would say we are maybe artisan in some ways, but, maybe it's just a little old-fashioned and doing things properly," Jason explains. "There is a real pride in what we do."

As for the continental name of the business, Jason said there is a very simple explanation - and it doesn't involve France at all.

"I am originally from Jersey, and I left there in 1995 to do the whole London thing," he explains. "There used to be a place by the harbour in Jersey called Feast and it was just a favourite restaurant of mine. So, I essentially took the name as a tribute and put a little 'Le' in front of it."

"It's a nod to things that inspired me with a little twist, and it's just sort of worked. We've had our yellow and black branding since we started too and it's become something that is just a part of us now."

Another aspect of the four shops that sets them apart from some of the larger chains is how they collaborate with local businesses and bakers. They work with the likes of Brid's Cross Brewing, Lancashire Crisps, Rivington Meats, Bury Lane Bakery and Urban Coffee, but also have also become well-connected with other makers in their years of business.

All the stores sell cakes crafted by former colleague Stella under her Stella's Cakes business, whilst home-bakes from Bolton bus driver and part-time baking enthusiast Danny are also served in a few of the Greater Manchester locations.

"Whenever we can, we use local supplies and work with local people," Jason explains. "These all tend to be people we know and are friends with, rather than just stored in some sort of local database."

Asked why their business has ended up being situated in train stations, Jason said it is just another element that has become a big part of Le Feast.

"We seem to have tapped into that market," he laughs. "A lot of our customers want a quick cappuccino or a bacon roll, and we understand that people still want a level of quality whilst in a hurry.

"But we have a lot of people who regularly come back to us for a chat, we all get to know each other. It's lovely. Look, we all get upset with the railways when the trains don't work, but when they do work, it's a great environment and the staff on the platforms are always so supportive of us."

Jason says that, whilst he cannot confirm any details yet, there are already plans in motion to open new Le Feast stores in the very near future.

"We are in discussions about more sites," he teases. "We've learnt a lot in the 14 years we've been in business, so we won't just go anywhere - we need to make sure that it's the right offering at the right place."

Robert Ellams, head of property at Northern, also teased news of further expansions. He said: "Railway stations are a great place to base a business – particularly those looking to develop customer loyalty - and with businesses like Le Feast, they really add to the customer experience for those using the station."

"This year, the UK is celebrating 200 years of the railway and stations across that network are located at the heart of the communities they serve. It has been great to see Jason and Jeremy's business grow and we hope to see more Le Feast outlets across our network in the months and years ahead."

You can find more details on Le Feast and their locations here.

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