A CHRISTCHURCH café that donates nearly all of its earnings to three Dorset charities is Daily Echo’s Trader of the Week.

Gary Bushell, Mike Bushell and James Metcalf own Fika - Skandi Coffee Co, a popular café with a Swedish twist offering coffee, cakes and a community feel.

As well as serving baked goods, the funds raised through customers goes towards three vital Dorset charities; Julia’s House, Mosaic and Gully’s Place.

(Image: Fika)

Gary said: “During the pandemic, my friends and I talked about the pull we felt to really give back and try to make a difference.

“When we met and decided we were going to try and contribute to local charities, the idea of Fika really seemed to match up.

“We decided our passion for coffee would be the vehicle we would use. We talked about causes that meant a lot to us and all put forward one cause each.

“We have all had dealings/links in the past with these three so seemed a perfect fit. Julia was my community nurse before she opened the hospice.”

Gary added: “We have brand new, fresh bakery items every day, basically, which is nice because it’s not that second day or third day product like you tend to get at other places. Sometimes it's even fresh every day.

“The community feel is something we really build on. We spend a lot of time trying to talk to customers to build good relationships and we get a lot of repeat customers because of this which is always great to see.

(Image: Fika)

“When they come to us, they're able to feel good about themselves as well, and we're able to really thank them and tell them how much these charities appreciate their customers.”

Gary said they spent two years trying coffee from all around the south of the country.

He said: “Lots of different suppliers and lots of different types to really find the right ones.

"We didn't settle for anything that we didn't feel was the best."

Fika - Skandi Coffee Co is now situated in 5 Wick Lane in Christchurch.