COFFEE is big business in Newport - and getting bigger.

New figures from the Office for National Statistics show the number of coffee shops and cafes in the city has doubled since 2010 - from 30 to 60.

Although the number of new places to grab a cup of coffee and a snack opening has slowed since 2016, the overall rate of increase in Newport is faster than across the UK.

While the city has its share of national chains seen on every high street, recent times have seen a growth in independently-run coffee shops attracting the more discerning.

Among these is Rouge Fox in Clytha Park Road, which was opened by Will Green and Lexy McCallmont 16 months ago.

Will said: “There was a sudden explosion of cafes and coffee shops a little while ago

“When we opened I was ordering three boxes of coffee a month. Now I’m buying eight boxes every two weeks.

“People want coffee - it fuels the workforce.

“And there’s been a refinement in the cafes that have come to Newport.

“We’ve only been operating for 16 months, but we’ve refined out techniques

“It’s in response to what people want - and the people of Newport want caffeine.”

Although Newport has branches of all the major national chains, including Costa, Cafe Nero and Starbucks, Will said he believed true coffee lovers were looking to independent businesses such as his for their coffee fix.

“People want somewhere to go and be surrounded by friends,” he said. “The coffee is secondary for lots of people.

“People’s mentality has shifted with Brexit and all the other things that are going on.

“Rather than looking for the big chains they are looking to support local people.”

Other popular places to stop for a hot drink in the city include Horton’s Coffee House in Millennium Walk and Hi Coffee, which has branches in Millennium Plaza and at the bus station.

Across the UK there are 28,900 cafes, coffee shops and fast food outlets, and British people drink 95 million cups of coffee a day - up from 70 million 10 years ago, figures obtained by the Centre for Economics and Business Research have shown.

Mike Cherry, the Federation of Small Business’s national chairman said: “Crucially, it isn’t just chain stores who are seeing their fortunes rise, but independents are also thriving in this food and drink boom.

“Not only does this help small firms, but also gives shoppers a greater wealth of choice and promotes good healthy competition.

“The caveat for this success is that all smaller firms, whether they are selling coffee, clothes or carpets are constantly threatened by ever-rising business rates.”

But investment bank Citybank said in a report released last year that the number of coffee shops cannot keep growing at the same high pace and forecast the boom will not last beyond 2022.

And The Project Cafe UK, a network of coffee professionals who analyse the industry, has warned that despite coffee shops doing well, Brexit could hamper the growth.

He said: “The industry mood remained confident over the last years, with 71 per cent of coffee sector executives, interviewed by us, positive about the trading environment.

“However, deep concerns over key Brexit issues, such as trade and jobs, remain – a climate reflected in dampened like-for-like sales and impeded outlet growth.”