MOTHER AND DAUGHTER Stamena and Leny Dimitrova are launching a bistro above their High Street shop in Tetbury – just weeks after Refillable opened for business.
The pair first opened the doors to their eco-friendly, plastic free grocery in November last year with a plan to expand by offering a bistro upstairs later in 2025. However, the shop has proved so popular they are opening the bistro much earlier, creating three more jobs for the Cotswolds town.
Stamena said: “We want to thank the people of Tetbury for their amazing support – indeed, we’ve had customers come from all over the Cotswolds and Wiltshire to buy our products. Now we are busy preparing the bistro, which will be known as Verdure (from the Latin – green, fresh to evoke a sense of natural abundance and well-being), and will offer teas, coffees, drinks, snacks, sandwiches, using our organic products from the shop downstairs. Many of these products come from local suppliers as we try to buy local where possible.”
Initially, the bistro’s opening hours will mirror the shop: Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm; Saturday, 9am to 5pm; and Sunday, 10am to 3pm. These hours may be extended after a few weeks of trading.
The bistro will have a natural feel with thoughtful planting provided by Cirencester company Fern & Ivy. Founder Kate Holtom said: “Our shop has been open since 2021, and we do offer installations of plants in homes and businesses. Stamena and Leny sent me over the design for the space and we spoke about light and the placement of plants. I drafted up a list of suitable plants and advised them on their care, and we’re thrilled to be able to contribute to the expansion of this new business.”
Other local suppliers to the bistro include the Great Cake Company from Melksham specialising in gluten free baking and The Artisan Baker from Stroud. Both will be providing products for the shop and bistro.
One quirky element is that customers who visit the bistro will be served coffee or tea in EDIBLE CUPS as a take out option.
“We do this in our Bath shop too,” Leny said. “Our customers can literally eat the cup once they’ve consumed their drink as it’s made of bran wheat or they can throw it away because it is food and it will break down in a way that it does not have a negative impact on the environment.”
Refillable offers over 1,500 single-use plastic-free, locally sourced (where possible) sustainable items in its Tetbury and Bath stores. The focus is to be plastic-negative, which means subtracting and reducing single-use plastic as much as possible. The team understands that 100% plastic-free is impossible to achieve, but if everyone reduces at least 10% of their plastic consumption, collectively, this makes a huge environmental difference.
Stamena said: “The bistro has come about very quickly, and we’re very grateful for that. We felt Valentine’s Day was a perfect occasion to open its doors, and we have many plans for the space to be used by many people over the coming year.
“Over time, we hope to attract local community groups to come and use the bistro, sample our food and drinks and to be a real meeting place for both local people and visitors to Tetbury.”
Refillable has two grocery stores in Bath and Tetbury; however, shoppers can also shop online as deliveries are offered to the areas around Bath and localities surrounding Tetbury. To find out more visit https://www.refillable.shop/