Serra Mucmata, originally from Queens in New York, is hoping to draw in thirsty customers to Pearlfect Sip, which opened on November 8.
The silver hatch stall is a twist on your traditional coffee shop – offering hot drinks like and coffee but also boba tea and dessert lattes which feature scoops of real cake.
Serra Mucmata from Pearlfect Sip (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
Serra, 23, made her big move from the Empire State to the North East back in January after getting married, and now calls Newcastle home.
But, it’s in Darlington where she is making an impact with sweet-toothed fans, as she hopes to emulate the similar business she ran back in the states.
“I don’t think you can get dessert lattes anywhere else in the North East,” Serra said.
“Usually when people make dessert lattes they do it with syrup – but we are different because we actually put the cake on top of the drink.”
Tiramisu, banana pudding and Lotus Biscoff are just three of the varieties of freshly made dessert lattes available on the menu – priced from £5.95 to £6.95.
But Serra’s journey making the sweet beverages began back in the US, after her family came across the concept of a dessert latte whilst holidaying in the Philippines.
They then brought it back to their shops Missree Chai and catering business Bobabaarbaar in New Jersey – and it took off from there.
However, since the move, she has realised how different running a business in the UK is compared to across the pond.
She said: “The move has been amazing – but when it comes to running a business, it’s a bit different over here.
Serra Mucmata from Pearlfect Sip (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
“When you open a business in New York, you know it will work because the streets are always super busy.
“But here, it’s a little quieter. We have only been here a week or two so we are still expanding our business and want people to know that we’re here.”
Depending on how things go, Serra’s stall may be here after Christmas but it all depends on how many customers come out to try the drinks.
Darlington indoor market
She said: “We’ve got the market stall for now to see if it’s something that people enjoy. If we get a good response, we can see if we can say on a long term basis.
“I did want to try and open my own business in a premises here, but the trading process and licensing were so expensive.
“So we thought, why not set up in the market to give it a try as a pop up shop?”
She added: “So far, we’ve been getting a really good response. Customers say they are really enjoying the drinks.
“We want to try and keep things reasonably priced for students too in the form of a discount, so they can come along and try all different things.
“We’ve had people coming along saying they saw us on Facebook and wanted to try us out, which is lovely.
“I love that – I love to craft drinks, it has been my passion for a long time.”
Serra is now one of a handful of new additions that has set up in the market in the lead up to Christmas.
One new stall is Jasper’s Tasty Treats, run by Ruth Middleton – selling cat and dog treats and a range of harnesses, collars, leads and dog walking bags.
In the future, she’s also planning on hosting themed coffee mornings for pet owners, and install a pick ’n’ mix station for treats, to reduce packaging waste.
On the far left side of the market, a free toy exchange set up by Darlington parents opened on November 6 in a bid to make sure children across town have presents under the tree this Christmas.
Brought to life by Macauley Macdonald, 28, and Nuha Alom, 22, the couple have gathered, cleaned and displayed a whole host of toys that can be picked up by passers by free of charge.