INDIE SPOTLIGHT: Soulshine, Serving Better Than Expected

Soulshine is a restaurant, café, takeaway and retail hub that’s become a cornerstone of Bridport’s historic high street on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast. Just down the same street, the team has also opened Goose & Badger, a coffee roaster, cafe and bar.

Run by friends and former River Cottage colleagues, Joel and Andy, both sites have quickly become destinations for foodies and coffee lovers. What started as a lockdown pop-up in the building Soulshine now calls home became a permanent fixture of the high street when Joel and Andy opened the doors in 2021:

“Although we weren’t looking to start anything or had very much money we just went for it. We’ve been incredibly well supported by the old owner and of course the people of Bridport which has given us the chance to grow into a second site almost opposite called Goose & Badger. In both places we try to offer better than expected service, food and drinks. We cultivate the feeling of being pleasantly surprised by how good everything is. It seems to have worked for us so far!” says Andy.

It’s a guiding principle that’s simple but effective: offer better than expected.

Judging by their loyal following, it’s working.

A SOURCING PHILOSOPHY WITH SUBSTANCE

That element of surprise extends to their sourcing. Soulshine works closely with local suppliers, celebrating them on the menu, across social media and through supper club events. For Joel and Andy, flavour matters, but so does substance.

“Some producers just have that something extra…a bigger purpose, a push to do things differently, to take care of people, to be connected to the whole process.”

It’s about avoiding marketing buzzwords and seeking genuine producers who bring something special to the table.

WHY ISLANDS BECAME THE HOUSE HOT CHOCOLATE

This philosophy led Soulshine to choose Islands as their house hot chocolate from the very beginning.

“I was struck by this connection from growing the cacao to making the chocolate and having control over the process. Islands Chocolate seemed unique on the market and I think it still is. We tried a sample of the 70% Dark Hot Chocolate and it was so delicious, plus the colourful branding really fit into our young business. We loved making the hot chocolate from actual real chocolate and immediately we started to have a following for the hot chocolate.”

Not everyone expects a hot chocolate quite like Islands’.

“We have some die-hard hot chocolate fans who come regularly, but for some, the hot chocolate is not what they expect. Quite often customers expect something super sweet piled with marshmallows. It’s great that Islands now offer the 45% Hot Chocolate Powder so we can keep those with a sweeter tooth satisfied as well, although controversially, we still don’t serve marshmallows - we are good at sticking to our guns when it’s a product we believe in.”

EXPANDING ISLANDS ACROSS THE MENU

In 2024, as the global cocoa market faced unprecedented price volatility, Soulshine made the decision to switch all their baking and dessert chocolate to Islands. 

“As the last 4 years have proven everything changes quickly, and when the price of chocolate increased we found we were paying close to the same price for commodity chocolate as we were for Islands. After reading a little deeper about the problems faced by the chocolate industry the choice was made to use Islands across the business. My only regret is that we didn’t do it sooner. Firstly everything is more delicious than ever and the chefs are happy to be using a chocolate which they can see is actually quality. I definitely think we can do more to communicate the choice with customers, although the ones that really care about these things absolutely love the fact we made the change.”

THE GOOSE & BADGER CHAPTER

In August 2024, the team opened Goose & Badger, their café and bar across the street from Soulshine. Leaning more into drinks, it serves coffee from their own Goose & Badger micro roastery, alongside local wines, beers and spirits.

 “There’s a little more emphasis on developing the drinks,” says Andy. “Although we tend to keep the chocolate drinks quite simple and let the flavours of the chocolate shine. The combination of one of our fruitier coffee roasts with Islands 70% Dark is a guilty pleasure of mine!”

LOOKING AHEAD

In less than five years, Andy and Joel have taken Soulshine from concept to a thriving, multi-site hub for the Bridport community. Looking to the future, their plans are rooted in steady growth:

“Concentrating on improving year on year and continuing to serve the Bridport community.”

There may be scope to build on Goose & Badger’s success, perhaps with new sites or mobile operations, but whatever comes next will grow from that same commitment to quality and service.

As with many of our independent customers, Andy believes service is as important as the product itself:

“Suppliers, quality and flavour all matter, but never underestimate the importance of good service. In our experience, people are looking for quality in the food and drinks but it’s the over and above service that keeps them coming back and spreading the word to friends and family.”

If you’re in Dorset, Soulshine and Goose & Badger are a must-visit, and their Islands 70% Dark Hot Chocolate is not to be missed.