On the 26th March 1995, Michael Smith, Louisa Newman and Lee Porter opened the doors of The Venus Company at Blackpool Sands on the site of the original ‘The Venus Tea Hut’, a small wooden hut selling tea and ice creams which Louisa’s mother had started in the late fifties.
The Venus Company now has four cafés, takeaways and shops in Devon and two in Cornwall, however, they all share the same philosophy of serving the best, locally sourced ingredients with many of its dishes coming from the nearby land or sea.
The company’s philosophy is best summed up by their logo ‘Loving the Beach’. Michael, Louisa and Lee are keen to support and help develop sustainability in the regional economy through enterprise and innovation. They are dedicated to constantly improving Venus’ service, products and increasing the use of the most environmentally friendly products to protect our naturally beautiful environment. Together with the Venus team they strive to ensure that their customer's needs are balanced carefully with environmental and social considerations, minimising any harmful effects and maximising the beneficial influences of our activities on the environment and the community.
Over the years Venus has been privileged enough to receive numerous awards for their green credentials and were delighted to have been awarded the Queen's Award for Sustainable Development in April 2010 - the second time they won this accolade. The Venus Company is one of only 10 companies throughout the UK to have been awarded a sustainability honour in 2010 (and only 8 in 2005), the judges described Venus as 'a rare example of a sustainable cafe chain'.
Dear Suz, thank you all so much for making our evening such a success. You were all brilliant and had done such a lovely job on the tables and making everywhere look so inviting. Everyone has been very complimentary about the venue, you and your girls
We just wanted to say a massive thank you to you all for Saturday! Everyone was absolutely amazing. People were so friendly and helpful and the food was wonderful. Everyone has been saying how fantastic everything was. We really can't thank you enough.
Thank you for making Lisa & Rachel's Wedding Day so special at Blackpool Sands. Amazing food, friendly staff excellent service all with a smile everyone loved the venue.Many thanks to Suz and all the staff you all worked so hard & you even ordered the sun
Company registration number: 351 4375 Registered in England and Wales
