Exciting things are happening in Porlock!

Two established, local community driven businesses are very excited to announce plans to enter a joint collaboration which will create a thriving business and community resource for residents and visitors alike.

Miles Tea and Coffee and Porlock Information Centre (managed by the Porlock Vale Community Interest Company, PVCIC) are very excited to be able to announce that the Porlock Information and Craft Centre will be moving to Miles Tea and Coffee at The Vale
Yard in Porlock.

Porlock Vale CIC and Miles Tea and Coffee have agreed to collaborate and join forces to create something very special for Porlock at their premises at The Vale Yard in Porlock. Porlock Information Centre will be resurrecting the community book stall and developing any new ideas which deliver on their joint aims. The Information Centre will not be reducing or changing any of their day to day working practices. The Centre will be in a more central location within Porlock High Street.

Information Centres across the UK have been under threat, especially in recent years. Porlock information Centre is a self-funded, service led industry and has relied on a top up of grants to assist in the day to day running of the Centre. These grants cease in 2025.

Porlock Vale CIC are now at a point where the Information Centre is not financially sustainable in the long term, despite efforts to generate income with new ideas and extra events. Porlock Vale CIC and the Information Centre would cease to exist in 18 months, and without some creative thinking, they simply could not allow that to happen. The loss of the services which they offer to the community and businesses, as well as the visitors would be incalculable.

In addition to relocating the Information and Craft Centre, Miles Tea and Coffee and Porlock Vale CIC are planning on a phased development of the premises at The Vale Yard and aim to open a Community Café plus a Miles Tea and Coffee interactive museum.

This will provide Porlock, with a much-needed tourist destination experience and fully utilise the premises at The Vale Yard to provide a focal point for people to visit in the village. The opportunities to promote this partnership are extensive. The Community Café will offer services which are not currently offered elsewhere in the village and will be open at times, to ensure that there is always a Café open in Porlock seven days a week.

This is a unique opportunity to create a long-term legacy for Miles Tea and Coffee and Porlock Vale CIC. The core values of both companies are to keep the Porlock Vale community at the heart of their businesses and to seek to create a visionary collaboration for the social and economic well-being of Porlock Vale and its residents.

The joint collaboration between Porlock Vale CIC and Miles Tea and Coffee will ensure that Porlock Vale CIC has a sustainable business model for the future, which is not reliant on seeking grant funding. Miles Tea and Coffee will see their community vision delivered to provide a Miles Tea experience and the joint venture will provide extensive marketing and PR opportunities for both companies and Porlock.

A little history on both companies:

Miles Tea and Coffee have been established since 1888. In 1961 Derek Miles moved to Porlock and began packaging up blends of tea in his front room at The Anchorage, ready to sell for himself. The business starts to grow and DJ Miles & Co was born, eventually settling in Capes Yard, Porlock.

In the 1980’s the Porlock site moved from Capes Yard a few yards down the road to The Vale Yard. The company purchased a coffee roaster and fresh coffee production began in Porlock, where our coffee is still roasted today. In 1997 a creative group of Porlock individuals recognised a need to provide a service to promote Porlock Vale as a tourist destination and the Porlock Visitor Centre opened in 1997.

The self-funding Information Centre has grown and adapted over the last 27 years and now sits at the heart of the residential and business community. It is known for being the place to go to for everything. The Centre provides much support for its isolated and rural ageing community, promoting its tourism businesses and highlighting the magic of Porlock Vale. The Porlock Vale Community Interest Company are now responsible for the management of the Porlock Information Centre.