Take the plunge as new Fausto coffee shop opens at Sunderland Aquatic Centre

Fausto Acqua has opened at Sunderland Aquatic Centre, joining stablemates Fausto Coffee in Roker, Fausto Coppa at the Beacon of Light and Fausto Atletico at Silksworth Wellness Centre.

The new addition is to the right of the main entrance at the centre in Monkwearmouth and replaces an in-house coffee service.

Under Fausto, the coffee area now serves a wider selection, with coffees made with beans from the roastery in Roker, protein shakes, bagels, toasties, cakes and more.

Cakes and snacks are made in the larger kitchen next door at the Beacon of Light and brought over to its new neighbour.

Director Louise Dryden said: “After seeing the success of the Silksworth site, the Aquatic Centre approached us about taking over the coffee area here. Being in fitness centres like this is a great way for us to connect with the community and for customers it’s great for them to have an independent coffee shop to use.

“People are already familiar with the Fausto brand in the city and they seem to really appreciate it.

"After lockdown, in particular, people are really using gyms and it’s a really sociable thing. We’re seeing what opening times work best for people at the minute, but we’re going to open late for things like swimming galas. We did that the other night and we were full, which is great to see.”

She added: “We only opened last week so at the minute it’s just about getting the word out there that we’re here.”

Fausto has strong links with sport in the city and employs around 27 people across its sites. The main Fausto Coffee in Roker, at the end of the C2C route, is named in honour of the champion Italian cyclist Fausto Coppi.

The Beacon of Light site, Fausto Coppa, has more of a football theme and is named after Coppa Italia, the Italian version of the FA Cup.

Meanwhile, Fausto Atletico is themed around athletics, with Fausto Acqua adding water sports into the mix.

Last summer, Fausto Coffee also added a pizza venture to the site, serving wood-fired pizza on Tuesday to Saturday evenings, which is going from strength to strength.