A POPULAR vegan café is set to close today - although the owner says it has been sold to a vegan couple who hope to redevelop and reopen it.

Noel Ferris, 29, decided to put his Dutty Vegan café up for sale after struggling to balance its demands on his time with his primary business, Urban Prints.

The Dutty Vegan café, in the Market Hall in the Shambles, offered local vegans fast-food style vegan meals made and created by scratch by Mr. Ferris and his team.

However, he said he had faced a tough decision to pass the business over after pressure from his other commitments meant the cafe was only opening three days a week and having to close at short notice.

Mr. Ferris said “handing the reins to someone else felt like the right thing to do.”

He originally advertised for ‘passionate vegan’ to take over the business but now says that he’s found a couple who intend to ‘redevelop and rebrand.’

He said: “The business must stay a Vegan business due to an agreement to not cause a conflict with a neighbouring business.

“I would love to see a passionate Vegan take over and realise the full potential of the business.”

According to Mr Ferris, the business has the potential to go from strength to strength thanks to the five-star reviews and good feedback he had received.

He said: “The café brought something new to Worcester with locals loving it, as well as people coming over from other areas to try my vegan recipes.”

He believes there is ‘big money’ in the vegan business at the moment.

Mr. Ferris said he wanted to “thank customers and all the wonderful people we’ve met” and hoped lots of customers would visit during the final days.

He added that the Dutty Vegan name would carry on through a series of events such as pop-up restaurants, pub takeovers and special events.

Dutty Vegan was opened in October 2018 by then mayor Jabba Riaz- and served Caribbean food tweaked to cater for vegans.

“The cafe offered‘veganised’ versions of dishes such as jerk chicken with rice and peas, barbecue ribs, as well as classic burgers and hot dogs.

At the time, Mr Ferris said: “I want to make it easier for people to make positive food choices. Veganism is an important and growing force for good in the world.