We chat with Julia & Josh, owners of Stamford’s & Uppingham’s Scadimania Coffee House about motivations, modernisation and future plans.

Julia & Josh live in the beautiful countryside of Rutland with their two kids, Freja & Freddie.

“We both have a huge passion for creating, I (Julia) am a foodie and coffee enthusiast with a background in nutrition, while Josh is very practical and so is good at putting ideas into reality.”

“Scandimania happened quite spontaneously really. We were walking down the high street in Uppingham with our first baby and I kept walking past the empty shop thinking a ‘little cafe would look so nice there.’”

After noticing a gap in Uppingham for a specialist coffee shop, Julia & Josh decided to bring the Swedish coffee culture to Rutland and open Scandimania Coffee House. 

“Josh, with a background in building work, built the shop. My parents being architects helped to plan the very small space, and I started to create recipes. All while Josh’s parents helped us (and still help) so much with childcare. A real family business for sure!”

Julia & Josh take huge inspiration from Julia’s Swedish roots, but also stay ‘food wise’ and keep up with modern trends. 

“We do a different range of Scandi open sandwiches on Hambleton sourdough and rye bread.”

“We’re most known for our home baked Swedish cardamom & cinnamon buns. We do a lot of home baked vegan loaf cakes and also stock the best brownies made by ‘B is for Brownie’.”

“I always wanted to open a cafe. When I told people they used to say something like ‘doesn’t everybody?’”

When Julia mentioned to Josh her dream of opening a cafe, he simply replied “OK, let’s do it!”. Sharing a similar work ethic and having different yet complementary expertise, the cafe was an instant success. 

“We started the Instagram account just before we opened the Uppingham branch.”

Social media is a huge tool for Scandimania, and they continue to utilise it on a daily basis. From promoting the launch of both branches, to regularly posting photos of food & coffees, social media really helps generate business.

“We love Rutland, we have never felt more at home anywhere else. It is a really nice and supportive community.”

Josh, originally from Bisbrooke, and Julia of course from Sweden, feel very lucky to be part of such an embracing community. 

There are a vast number of local, independent businesses that Julia & Josh are very fond of. 

“Goodwin and Belle! It’s a Scandi style interior shop across the road from us in Uppingham. We also love Miss Pickering and Don’t Settle Petal for flowers, The Yard in Stamford is an amazing, modern soft play with a nice cafe. Nel & Nancy and Baba Of Mine for baby clothes, there are so many amazing businesses here the list could go on!”

Alongside the two cafes, Scandimania is looking to branch out and expand their presence in the catering industry. Recently, they have opened a pop up cafe at Nevill Holt Opera, while also attending the Burghley Christmas fair every year. 

“At the moment, we are converting a Land Rover Defender into a ‘Scandimania on wheels’ to make events and pop ups a lot easier.”

They are also keeping an eye out for the next place to open up another cafe, so who knows where next!

Find out more about Scandimania Coffee House here.