A celebration of Scotland is very much at the heart of Birch speciality coffee shop in Portree.
From the local ingredients woven into their brunch menu to the handcrafted ceramic cups waiting to be filled with artisan espresso, the small café is a love letter to the country’s many talented producers.
It’s funny then, that time spent in a ‘coffee mecca’ on the other side of the world first inspired owner Niall Munro to start his business.
“What I loved about my time in Melbourne was experiencing the coffee and brunch culture that it's famous for,” he said.
“The level of attention to detail and the passion that people had for what they were doing was hugely inspiring.
“In Scotland, and Skye specifically, they do fine dining very well, but there was a gap in the market for somewhere that utilised the same incredible local produce for casual daytime meals.
“After deciding to do that as well as focusing on coffee, things happened very organically with Birch.”
Munro was no stranger to the island’s fine dining scene, having spent time working in his brother’s restaurant, Scorrybreac, before deciding to go solo.
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Four years on there’s a family real family feel at Birch, with a mural painted by his father, Donnie Munro of Runrig fame, adorning the outside wall and a clear appreciation for food and flavour inherited from his mother, a skilled home cook.
Still, when the time came for opening in 2020, Munro says he was not convinced that a modern Australian approach to speciality coffee would prove a hit in his hometown.
“I was worried that what I had visualised might not work in Portree and it did feel like a bit of a gamble,” he said.
“But ultimately if I had gone down a safer route I wouldn’t have been so invested in the experience.
“For me that’s as important as anything, knowing that the person at the forefront of a business really cares about what they’re doing.
“After finding out the space for the shop was available it only took us a few weeks to turn it around and then, of course, just as everything was ready to go, covid hit.
“When we did manage to open, we had a great response.”
A roaring success thanks to sleek minimalistic interiors and a seasonal menu of light bites, Birch made it safely to the other side of the pandemic.
Despite his initial fears, it turns out islanders were just as eager to explore the wonderful world of coffee as any of the innovative baristas down under.
He said: “Skye differs a little from the rest of rural Scotland because in the summertime it’s incredibly busy with visitors from all over the world, so I knew we would be able to tap into that.
“But what I really love is that we’ve built up a real core following of local customers as well.
“People who maybe wouldn’t have been interested in coffee before are now into it in a big way.
“Speciality coffee is easily comparable to wine in that there’s so much to discuss about the region it comes from, the processing and roasting profiles.
“In the years to come, I don’t think it will be considered ‘speciality’: people just won't settle for less.”
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Encouraged by the warm welcome they had received, in 2021 Munro and his team were able to establish their own roastery at Broom Place and began accepting online orders.
This year brings the next challenge, with the announcement that Birch will open a sister outlet on the Inverness high street this Spring.
Brimming with enthusiasm as he speaks of the space, it’s very clear that Munro's risk in sharing his passion for all things coffee with the people of Portree has paid off.
“Inverness felt like a natural progression for us when it came to expanding," he said.
“We come from Skye, and we’re very proud of that fact, but the new shop will have unique elements to it with a slightly more extensive pour-over menu and range of espressos.
“There are a lot of exciting places opening up there at the moment so to be joining in on the buzz feels great.
“But mostly, it’s just fantastic to be able to speak to people from all over the world about coffee every day.
“I absolutely love it.”
Birch is located at Bayfield Road, Portree, Isle of Skye.
Follow them on Instagram for updates on the Inverness shop here.
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