COFFEE connoisseurs Bruce Brown and Luke Jackson have shut their concept coffee and doughnut shop in Carlisle city centre so they can expand their bakery space.

The Abbey Street venture closed on Friday so the pair, who are business partners, can make more room for their growing doughnut empire.

Bruce and Luke continue to run Foxes across the cobbled street and Coffee Genius, now branded Bruce and Luke’s, on St Cuthbert’s Lane.

The pair say they have plans in place for three more locations plus pop-ups all around the county.

Luke said: “We make between 1,200 and 3,000 doughnuts a day and we need space to do so.

“We decided to close the doors to the concept cafe in the Guild on Abbey Street so we can expand our bakery space for the growing volumes of awesome doughnuts.”

Luke said the most popular selling doughnuts are the original glazed doughnut, a Homer Simpson, coffee puff doughnut and a chocolate ganache doughnut with brownie on top.

He said: “We love making doughnuts.

“It’s good fun and it’s nice to bring some happiness to people.

“Coffee and sugar is where it’s at - you can’t go wrong.”

Customers can still pop down to collect pre-orders from the bakery, where the doughnuts are made.

Bruce and Luke opened their first cafe in Carlisle in 2011 when they took over Foxes on Abbey Street.

They started a coffee roasting business in 2014 and had operated from a railway arch behind Matalan before moving it to Abbey Street.

They took over Coffee Genius in February and have made extensive changes to transform the business.

Their latest product on the market is bagels - which have also been a success.

Fillings include ham and coleslaw, bacon and cheese, smoked salmon and cream cheese and a Reuben bagel which consists of slow baked beef brisket in peppercorns and smoked paprika, sauerkraut, lettuce, beef tomato with whole grain mustard mayo and a pickle.

Coffee Genius sells both bagels and doughnuts as well as Bruce and Luke’s coffee.

The dynamic duo, who have won awards for their coffee and for Foxes Cafe, are also eyeing up other sites across Carlisle.

Plans are in place for another in Kingstown to service the growing business and housing developments in the north of the city, then there are two other possibilities that they are keeping under wraps at the moment.

Luke said: “We have plans for expansion.

“Watch this space.”