Siblings Julia and Matt Dyrbye have opened a new coffee shop on Perth Road in Dundee.
Julia, 30, and Matt, 27, will serve speciality coffee, various homemade bakes, sandwiches and toasties at Noch.
The siblings, originally from South Africa, moved to Dundee six weeks ago.
“Matt and I have both been working in hospitality for a number of years,” says Julia.
“And we decided it was time for us to open a cafe for ourselves.
“We’re really just trying our best to make it a really special place to be.
“We want to become a destination in Dundee.”
She adds: “We have felt really welcome in the community.
“Seeing everyone’s joy and excitement has been so, so lovely.
“We were super surprised with the response, and we’re so thankful that everyone accepts us as part of the community.”
Noch – pronounced “knock” – is an anagram of the chemical structure of caffeine.
This is also symbolised by the cafe’s logo.
‘Bakes your granny would be proud of’ at Noch
At Noch, there are a range of sweet and savoury options to try.
Their social media states that the cafe offers “granny bakes”.
“Our mum bakes our cakes,” Julia explains.
“She’s been a baker for a very long time, which she did with my gran when she was younger.
“We’ve got recipes which have been passed down for generations.
“We thought it would be fun to say we’ve got bakes that your granny would be proud of.”
Some other bakes at the Perth Road eatery are supplied by Newport Bakery.
The sweet treats on offer include chocolate brownies (£3) with chocolate chip and chocolate chip cookies (£3).
There’s also the quirky “cruffin” (£4) – a mixture between a muffin and a croissant – which are stuffed with banoffee, Biscoff or Nutella and caramel filling.
You can also get your lunch fix at Noch, Dundee.
They serve a gourmet toasted cheese sandwich (£5.50), sourdough bread packed with emmental, gouda and cheddar.
There’s also a crispy chicken mayo sandwich with bacon (£6.50), served on ciabatta.
Or you could try the vegan pastrami sandwich (£7), with pickled beetroot, coconut and dill yoghurt, cucumber and rocket on focaccia.
What is it like running a cafe with your sibling?
The speciality coffee on the menu is a passion of Matt’s.
“Coffee is like eating a really good piece of steak,” he says.
“You can’t go wrong with speciality coffee.”
Julia adds: “We hope to join the community of coffee lovers and enthusiasts in Dundee.”
Brother and sister Julia and Matt have no problem working together.
“We’re both really close,” says Julia, “we both bring our own strengths to the job.”
Matt jokes that it is “very challenging” to work with his sister.
“No, we’ve always had a very good relationship,” he adds.
“We know what makes each other tick.
“She knows me better than anyone, and I’m sure she would say the same about me.
“A lot of customers have come in and said they could never do this with their sibling.
“But we like each other’s company. We’re actually just really good friends as well.”
Conversation