{"id":12921,"date":"2025-04-12T06:14:20","date_gmt":"2025-04-12T06:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/12921\/"},"modified":"2025-04-12T06:14:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-12T06:14:20","slug":"the-new-cafe-hidden-inside-a-40-foot-shipping-container-in-one-of-manchesters-most-loved-parks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/12921\/","title":{"rendered":"The new caf\u00e9 hidden inside a 40-foot shipping container in one of Manchester’s most loved parks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cEverybody wants a bit of a connection and a nice brew, don’t they?”\"NatNat and Kerry Lobel have opened a new shipping container caf\u00e9 in a beloved Manchester park(Image: Jake Lindley \/ Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

Four years after first serving coffee and cake to park visitors via a bright yellow trike, a couple in Manchester have opened a brand new caf\u00e9 in a 40-foot shipping container.<\/p>\n

Levenshulme<\/a> couple Kerry and Nat Lobel set up Grounded MCR in 2021<\/a> as a way to tackle an issue of their own where they felt their local parks were missing a caf\u00e9 space for families and visitors to use.<\/p>\n

Heading to the likes of Cringle Park and Platt Fields each week with their trusty trike, lovingly named after Moira in Schitt\u2019s Creek, their local bakes, freshly-ground coffee and other delights were a hit with park attendees whilst their venture also served as a training ground for vulnerable adults and young people to work.<\/p>\n

This week, Kerry and Nat opened their Grounded MRC caf\u00e9<\/a> at Cringle Park, off Errwood Road near Levenshulme, with support from Manchester Council and following a crowdfunding project two years ago.<\/p>\n

The space is decorated with bright and colourful murals from local artist Laurie Pink, alongside freshly-grown plants, trees and flowers that will come to life throughout the year and also be used as ingredients when possible.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe new shipping container caf\u00e9 has already proved to be a hit with local residents(Image: Jake Lindley \/ Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, it’s been the biggest labour of love,\u201d Nat told the Manchester Evening News<\/a> of the new caf\u00e9 space. \u201cWhen we started during the pandemic, it was just a way of trying to help out the community\u2019s collective mental health and it\u2019s just grown into something much bigger since then.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always wanted to have a caf\u00e9 and a permanent base with what we do and to be able to continue to train more vulnerable people, but there was never really an envision that it would become this.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody wants a bit of a connection and a nice brew, don’t they? But I really didn\u2019t think we’d be at the point where people would literally be banging down the door on our day off. How nice is that, you know? we just feel incredibly privileged.\u201d<\/p>\n

The plans for the caf\u00e9 that stands proud today first came about when Nat and Kerry discovered an abandoned storage container listed for sale on Facebook, of all places. With the space having previously been used as a caf\u00e9, the pair saw the potential to transport it into south Manchester.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe yellow coffee trike that started it all(Image: Jake Lindley \/ Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

The dark green set up features an indoor kitchen, with just enough room for a caf\u00e9 set up including tables and seats. When the weather is nice, there is extra space for outdoor seating, as well as for hammocks and children\u2019s activity areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just hoping for some festival vibes here in south Manchester,\u201d Nat says. \u201cAnd we\u2019ve had that already just on our first day. It\u2019s taken a lot of wrangling back and forth to get to this point but it feels so good to finally be open.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got loads of beautiful planters and trees that are already growing and it’s just an attempt to make the park more visible and also be as environmentally-friendly as we can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pair will be working with local organisations and groups, including those that help support women in probation to get back into the workforce. They also have their own future baristas scheme which helps young people aged 18 to 24 learn about hospitality and the coffee business.<\/p>\n

\"InsideInside the new Grounded MCR caf\u00e9 in Cringle Park(Image: Jake Lindley \/ Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

Now being a caf\u00e9 as opposed to a van also means that the Grounded MCR offering can now be fully expanded too with meals set to be served throughout the week. Alongside using their own homegrown produce and ingredients when possible, they are also working with Fareshare to utilise surplus food that would otherwise be going to waste to make exciting new dishes.<\/p>\n

Due to this, some aspects of the menu will regularly change but some staples will include the likes of mac and cheese (with homegrown cress), as well as a homemade spanakopita, which is a vegan-friendly crispy feta and spinach pastry. There are also breakfast dishes, \u2018picky\u2019 plates and homemade chips to order too.<\/p>\n

Amongst the speakers to address a packed-out crowd during the cafe\u2019s official opening on Thursday afternoon (April 10) was Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council<\/a> and is also a councillor for the nearby Burnage<\/a> ward.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s felt like quite a long time coming,\u201d Cllr Craig said at the event. \u201cIt has probably been about three-and-a-half years in the making. We\u2019ve seen the park going from strength-to-strength, particularly coming out of the pandemic, people really do value the park locally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NatNat and Kerry set up the business four years ago in response to a lack of social spaces in their local park(Image: Jake Lindley \/ Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

Kerry added at the event: \u201cIt has been a long ride, it started in lockdown and we were in this park everyday with our two children and we thought it would be really nice to have somewhere to get a brew.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we came to the council and said \u2018can we have a caf\u00e9?\u2019 because everyone always asked us about having one and they said yes. Judging by the last few weeks before we\u2019ve opened, it\u2019s shown to us that this is absolutely needed and is definitely what people wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerry and Nat said that the response to the initial launch of the caf\u00e9 has also highlighted to them how something like this can be replicated in any of the 144 parks located in Greater Manchester.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe caf\u00e9 serves cakes, coffee, and meals made using surplus food from Fareshare(Image: Jake Lindley \/ Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

\u201cI really hope that this is something that can be rolled out all across Greater Manchester because it feels like there is such a need for it,\u201d Nat explains. \u201cNot only when it comes to an accessible toilet space, but also for a caf\u00e9 or a space where people can just hang out. It just all comes back to that basic human need for connection.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf something like this can happen elsewhere, that would be really brilliant and I do think that Manchester City Council are up for making it happen. For us, it\u2019s just about being quite brave and rolling with our ideas and getting everyone to come on board for the ride.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has just turned into something that is exactly what we wanted and, honestly, how nice is it that we get to work somewhere that doesn\u2019t even feel like work, you know? It\u2019s just one big laugh riot, it\u2019s absolute jokes all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe original trike from 2021 is still serving up coffee(Image: Jake Lindley \/ Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

And as for what the pair have in store for the future, they say they are just taking it one day at a time but want to continue to push the envelope and continue to deliver what people want from them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s been a wild ride so far and we\u2019re looking forward to just having people keep coming back time and time again,\u201d Nat said. \u201cWe want to grow as much as we can and there is loads of potential for big events and collaborations with local groups and businesses. That\u2019s the dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Grounded MCR caf\u00e9 is open at Cringle Park everyday – except for Wednesdays – from 10am to 4pm. Cringle Park is on Crossley Road, Levenshulme, M19 2QP.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cEverybody wants a bit of a connection and a nice brew, don’t they?”Nat and Kerry Lobel have opened…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12922,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,578,393,4884,8826,5763,8829,2465,8827,8828,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-12921","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-coffee","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-levenshulme","13":"tag-lgbtq","14":"tag-m-e-n-explore","15":"tag-manchester","16":"tag-manchester-cafes","17":"tag-manchester-council","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114323525774322665","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}