Elizabeth and Jamie Grant have transformed the former Habitat Café in Aberfeldy into Fika, a café inspired by Swedish traditions.
Located in the heart of the picturesque Perthshire town, the revamped café combines Scandinavian flair with local charm, offering a unique twist on classic Scottish café culture.
The Grants took over the well-known Habitat Café in September.
And after running it in its original form for six weeks to familiarise themselves, they recently closed for a week to rebrand and redecorate.
The revamped café now reflects their vision, with a fresh interior, new signage, and a menu influenced by Swedish culinary traditions.
Elizabeth explains the inspiration behind the name: “Fika is a Swedish concept. It means having a coffee break each day.
“Everyone stops to have a fika twice a day—morning coffee with a small open sandwich, and afternoon coffee with a really small cake.”
A taste of Sweden
Fika’s menu incorporates classic Swedish flavours alongside familiar Scottish café staples.
Popular items include Swedish cinnamon buns, chocolate balls made with oatmeal and cacao, and open sandwiches such as meatballs with beetroot salad or smoked salmon.
“We’ve had a lot of really good feedback on our open sandwiches,” says Elizabeth.
“People really want to try it.”
Elizabeth also puts a Scandinavian twist on her classic baking, such as making apple and cinnamon scones. She is becoming known for her fabulous scones, with rotating specialty flavours such as bakewell.
Returning to Scotland
Elizabeth and Jamie lived in Sweden for 15 years, working for IKEA in product development, before deciding to return to Scotland with their children.
“Sweden was a great place to bring up a family,” says Elizabeth.
“But we wanted our children to grow up closer to our family.”
Originally from Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, the couple fell in love with Aberfeldy when they began searching for a café to buy.
“It’s a great wee town with everything on your doorstep, as well as a lovely community feel,” says Elizabeth.
Building a community hub in Fika
Elizabeth hopes the café will become a gathering place for locals.
“I would really like it to be a hub for the community, where locals can come and chat over a cup of coffee,” she says.
During Aberfeldy’s recent Christmas festivities, the café embraced the season by offering Swedish glögg (mulled wine) as locals enjoyed the market, parade, and Christmas lights switch-on just outside the café.
A love for café culture
The couple’s history with cafés goes back to when they were teenagers and they both worked in local coffee shops.
Over the years, they refined their vision of the café they hoped to one day open.
Jamie, a skilled barista who once competed in a big barista competition, is most interested in the coffee side of things, while Elizabeth loves the baking.
Their children, Hannah (10) and Ewan (7), are thoroughly enjoying the new venture and like visiting the café after school.
Fika is currently open Friday to Tuesday but has plans to extend these hours in the future.
They are also dog-friendly, offering gluten-free options for soups, sandwiches, and cakes.
Address: 1 The Square, Aberfeldy, Perthshire, PH15 2DD
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