The McCabe family’s Esplanade Group International via its long established company in the Far East, Scarborough Holdings, opened yesterday its first Espuma Coffee House in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong.
Espuma is the branded name for SHL’s venture into the distribution of coffee throughout the Far East coupled with the planned expansion of Coffee Houses in Hong Kong and selected cities within the People’s Republic of China.
SHL’s subsidiary ScarNov Coffee a joint venture with Cafè Novell from Barcelona, Spain was established in 2013 and brings the experience of the Novell business founded in 1958 to source import, select, roast and distribute coffee.
The new Coffee Shop in Tsim Sha Tsui a 3,000 sq ft shop area in one of Hong Kong’s most popular suburbs.
ScarNov will open its first Espuma venue in PRC during autumn 2014 at Mission Hills, Haikou, Hainan. The 10,000 sq ft shop over two levels is within the Lan Kwai Fong area of this futuristic development due for completion in the coming months. A second Coffee House within the adjoining Movie Town district of Mission Hills is being considered.
SHL’s plans are to carefully select PRC cities well known to them to develop and open in excess of 100 Espuma venues within the next five year and to eventually seek a listing for ScarNov on either the Hong Kong or Shenzhen Stock Exchange.
Susan Tham, Chief Executive Officer of SHL said: “We worked for more than two years in seeking a well qualified European partner who knows the coffee business inside out.
In Dolors Novell, her father, family members and colleagues we have found an ideal partner to make ScarNov a unique company here in the Far East. Coupling Cafè Novell’s experience with that of SHL – who have been operating in Hong Kong, China and Myanmar for well over ten years – should bring expansion and success for us 2014 and beyond.”
Dolors Novell, Chief Executive Officer of Cafè Novell said: “Meeting and spending time with Susan Tham and other members of Scarborough and SHL both in Barcelona, Hong Kong and China since mid-2013 has created a trusted and well founded relationship which we are confident will see progress and success for both the Espuma and distribution business of ScarNov.”
