IF people in Colchester are unfamiliar with mandazis and samosas, then 39-year-old owner Samuel Chege could have identified the perfect gap in the city’s food scene.

Safari Coffee House is the latest independent business to open in the city centre, with the eatery welcoming customers for the first time earlier this month in Priory Walk.

It followed a successful soft launch which took place in December, and currently, the business is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm.

Mr Chege grew up in Kenya and previously ran a mobile coffee shop in London, but this venture is, he explained, a chance for Colchester’s different communities and ethnic groups to get together in one place.

It is also, he adds, a chance for him to be part of something his two children can look up to.

He said: “When my kids were born, I wanted to create something from scratch, build it into a business, and work in communities making a difference – that’s what I try to do.

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“I started off running a coffee van which was initially meant to be getting my children to come with me and see how their dad works, so they can feel a part of something bigger.”

At the back of the building, away from the cooking and socialising, is a photography and podcasting studio which Mr Chege wants to offer to community groups if they are interested in learning about digital media.

“We do more than just coffee and food – at the back we’ve got a photography studio and podcast recording studio for people in the community who might be interested in media.”

The commercial climate is harsh, and businesses in Colchester city centre have been vocal about their struggles, but Mr Chege – who lives in Little Bentley – is keen to take the challenge on.

“There’s never an ideal time to open a business – there’s always a risk [involved].

“If you let the environment decide what you do, you don’t know what you could be missing out on – I don’t want to look back on life and think ‘I wish I had done’.”

Mr Chege explained he wants to take people on their own food journey at his coffee house, but one senses he is on a journey of his own.