Internationally multi-award-winning hospitality business, The Venus Company (loving the beach®) with four stunning beach café locations across South-Devon, announces from January 2023.The Venus beach cafe business at Blackpool Sands will close for good, as commercial terms to continue could not be agreed to mutual advantage.

A well-respected and renowned environmental champion, Venus operates its beach café business across South Devon all year-round including Broadsands in Paignton and Bigbury-on-Sea; East Portlemouth a picturesque ferry ride from Salcombe, opens throughout the summer season.

In 1995, Michael Smith; his wife Louisa Newman, and Lee Porter opened the doors of its first Venus Café at Blackpool Sands; with a beach café, take-away, and shop on site of the original ‘The Venus Tea Hut’, a wooden hut selling tea and ice-creams that Louisa’s pioneering mother, Lady Newman started in 1958.

The Newman family can trace its history back to the 1400s, a time when Dartmouth was a renowned shipping port. In 1797 Richard Newman bought the land around Blackpool Sands which included the beach and house. In more recent times, Sir Geoffrey Newman, as eldest son inherited the estate and leased the beach site to The Venus Company for nearly thirty years. In November 2022, Sir Geoffrey has plans to set up a new Limited Company business venture on Blackpool Sands, which he will operate under the Blackpool Sands brand.

Louisa Newman reminisces:

“My father Sir Ralph Newman ran a wine merchant on St James’ Street, London. When I was three years old, we moved to Blackpool Sands permanently and it was an idyllic childhood. My mother was ahead of her time, setting up a new café and shop business in a wooden shed on the beach. I loved helping serve the customers, selling fresh home-grown vegetables and my mother’s handmade marmalade and crafts.”

She adds:

“Michael, Lee, and I work so well together. We set up the Venus Cafe in 1995 with the same philosophy as my parents keeping the beach unspoiled, serving the best, locally sourced high-quality ingredients, and many of our dishes coming from the nearby land or sea, making it more sustainable.”

Michael Smith – M/D of The Venus Company said:

“It’s a sad time, particularly as Blackpool Sands is the birthplace of The Venus Company brand and where Louisa grew up.” He adds: “Circumstances have changed substantially since 1995, and although offered the opportunity to work with Geoffrey’s new limited company, we felt his proposed business model did not allow our brand to flourish and develop. We made the decision not to go forward based on commercial viability; it simply was just not for us.”

Constantly striving to improve its environmental performance, Venus banned plastic straws 20 years ago in a bid to reduce plastics on the beach and in the oceans. It was the first company to use fully home compostable cups and lids, (zero plastic) and to ban single-use plastic drinks bottles and water. The latest innovation is the introduction of home compostable and biodegradable palm plates, rubbish bags, cake wrapping film, and cling film at all their beach cafes.

He explains:

“Our mission is to be the greenest café, and it’s fundamental we stay true to the ethos and values of our established Venus trademark, loving the beach®. Our brand’s all about sustainability. We love the beach and water as a habitat, so taking care of it is integral to our business philosophy. Our business remains in a healthy strong position to weather the upcoming economic and supply storm and we will continue to grow and expand the Venus company with like-minded landlords.”

Louisa comments:

“I’m sad to be leaving, however, Blackpool is moving in a different direction to Venus but will remain in our hearts as our birthplace and I wish my brother and nephew every success with their new business plans.”

She concludes:

“Although it’s the end of an era, I’m really excited about the future of the Venus Company. We still have our other three popular Venus beach cafes with more in the pipeline and all our full-time staff will remain under the Venus brand.”

www.lovingthebeach.co.uk