Leeds Beckett graduates rise to the occasion with second Love Rouge cafe

The new Love Rouge café and bakery is located at 21 Lendal in the heart of York and is celebrating its first full week of trading this week.

Love Rouge Bakery, on Otley Road in Headingley, was created by Becky Fowler and Lydia Sweeting, who met whilst studying at Leeds Beckett for degrees in Retail Marketing Management and Public Relations and working together at the head office of a retail outlet. The Headingley café opened in 2011.

Becki commented: “The café had its soft opening last week but this week is its full week of trading. We had some really great feedback last week so we really feel that we made the right choice opening in this location. We are obviously nervous but excited about opening a second bakery. This is a huge step for us in a location that we are not as familiar with as Leeds.

“The business has been going from strength to strength over the past three years and we have been very lucky. It has been a lot of hard work and we expect this to continue as the business grows. Myself and Lydia have been able to take a small step back from the day to day running and we hope to now concentrate on marketing and advertising to grow the brand and business, an area we have neglected previously.”

Earlier this year, Love Rouge Headingley expanded its menu to include lunch options alongside its breakfasts and cupcakes, brownies and traditional cakes. The team also caters for special occasions and corporate events. For more information and to order online, please go to www.loverouge.com