New coffee-shop owner Chris Robshaw determined not to become a has-bean
Where former England team-mates, Lee Mears and Matt Stevens blazed a trail with the successful Jika Jika coffee shop in Bath, Robshaw has followed by opening his own business in Winchester.
Fronted and co-owned by Robshaw’s business partner, friend and one-time housemate, the former Hampshire cricketer Kevin Latouf, Black Red White has been trading for the past fortnight and will officially open its doors to the public on Wednesday
Mears, Stevens and Robshaw are not alone. As the financial brains behind The Flying Bean Café, a mobile coffee venture that is run by his brother Tom and currently serves 60 outlets a day, Leicester centre Anthony Allen has ‘bean’ there too.
Throw in James Haskell and his Angry Squirrel coffee brand and it is easy to see why the trend isn’t Mocha do about nothing.
“It’s obviously the business to get in to at the moment,” Robshaw told The Rugby Paper. “Matt Stevens and Lee Mears kind of paved the way; things must be going well because they’ve recently opened up a second shop near the station in Bath.
“When Black Red White was in the planning stage I tried to pick their brains when we were in England camp together.
“Black Red White is a bit of a new concept because we’re a wine shop, too.”
Getting into the coffee shop business is a becoming a natural progression for modern-day professionals who are more likely to socialise over a frothy coffee than a beer.
“Having a ‘coffee club’ is a great way to recharge your batteries between training sessions and also get to know your team-mates,” Robshaw said.
“Although my focus is still very much on rugby, I wanted to try my hand at something different.
“I try to go down to Winchester once a week to see how things are going and make the odd coffee. Over the summer I did a barista course, so I’m getting there slowly.”
Playing on their high-profile rugby link, Black Red White plans to run Autumn International themed wine-tasting evenings. But while his punters enjoy a glass of Shiraz or Sauvignon Blanc, Robshaw hopes his focus will be on downing New Zealand, Australia and Argentina.
The 27-year-old’s place in the team, let alone the captaincy, is under threat, but the versatile back rower refuses to crystal-ball gaze and instead does his talking on the pitch, epitomised by his man-of-match-performance against Worcester on Friday night.
“As a player you ignore the side-show of what is potentially going on out there, take each game as it comes and try and crack on,” he said.
“The Rugby World Cup is a long way away at the moment, it is all about Harlequins.
“Everyone wants to be in the England starting XV but you can’t look too far ahead, you only have to look at what has happened to Tom Croft.”
Robshaw has had his own disappointments, notably missing out on Lions selection and then being told by England to rest in the summer rather than tour Argentina.
However, he says the support of his Quins boss Conor O’Shea is something he can count on. “Conor is brilliant at looking after his players,” he said. “His biggest strength is how positive he is, which rubs off on the way we play and the energy we have as a squad.”
JON NEWCOMBE
