Three small businesses that are enjoying life in Cornwall

Stitches & Cream

Verdant Brewery

From humble homebrew between friends, to a booming business, Verdant has grown rapidly from its Penryn HQ. Home to a range of craft beers, Verdant was able to rapidly grow thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign. In Falmouth, Verdant owns the Seafood Bar, close to Custom House Quay. It’s a tapasinspired seafood restaurant serving small plates and a range of Verdant’s beers. Adam Robertson, co-founder of Verdant says: “The Seafood Bar is a small, but mighty space. Already an established seafood restaurant, we built on that reputation, giving it our own unique twist.”

Many of the restaurant’s patrons come from across the UK as well as welcoming international beer lovers too, while also continuing to order ‘a Verdant experience’ via the company’s website. As a consequence, Verdant has also developed a partnership with another craft beer company, Pressure Drop based in London. This has furthered the brand’s reach, helping to bring the tap room experience and a taste of Falmouth to the capital city – under the railway arches of Hackney Central. As Adam adds: “We used to brew each day and always ran out of stock before the day had ended. Our new facilities enable us to produce more and now have enough beer in stock.” verdantbrewing.co

Created by sisters Jane and Sandra out of a love for dressmaking and needle craft, Stitches & Cream retails natural yarns and quality, contemporary dressmaking fabric, as well as running drop-in sessions, stitching workshops and talks. Taught by their mother from an early age, the sisters bring a lifetime of passion for needlework to the high street, providing advice and support to customers while engaging with their audience in innovative ways, such as stitching evenings and via social media. “We want to be the centre for Falmouth’s knit and sew community,” said Jane. “Somewhere people can get together, learn and share tips and techniques, as well as purchase the materials for their crafts.”

The shop opened in 2019, only to be in lockdown shortly after. Jane said: “We switched to online sales and offered a click and collect service. The lockdown brought with it a reconnection with arts and crafts for many, and so we find more people of all age groups and genders, taking an interest in knitting, sewing and the creative arts.” stitchesandcream.co.uk

Koala Karlous

Entrepreneurial musician Brandon Hargrave has combined a successful music career with quality bagels in the heart of Falmouth. A bakery by day, in the evening it transforms into a café/ bar with a cool chill electronic vibe, showcasing Brandon’s individual style of music. Working as a full-time songwriter for the last ten years, Brandon decided to part ways with his Sony record label and focus on bringing his music to people direct. He started from a Mercedes Sprinter conversion, powered by solar energy, where he created 18 independent chillout tracks, while also developing the van into a coffee and bagel truck. After a year of trading and pushing the music, Brandon had achieved more than 20 million streams and more than 18,000 sales from the vehicle. Soon after, he launched his flagship coffee house and quality bagel bakery on Killigrew Street in Falmouth. Koala Karlous now has 16 employees across three locations and Brandon has aspirations to continue to grow the brand across Cornwall and the South West. He says: “Music is a big part of my life and I want to show young, aspiring singer songwriters that it is possible to be successful, without the big corporate record labels. Life can be short. We need to enjoy what we do and maximise the time we are blessed to have here.” koalakarlous.com