After months of planning, recipe testing and building anticipation online, Jersey influencer Alix Page is turning her passion for coffee and matcha into a business with her first-ever pop-up today.
The creator behind the new brand Blonde will be serving iced coffees and ceremonial-grade Japanese matcha at Charing Cross from 8.30am until stocks sell out.
What started as a love of documenting café visits on social media has grown into a business idea that Alix hopes is only the beginning.
“I kept giving myself the same excuses like, I can’t do social media yet because I haven’t got a camera, or I can’t do social media yet because I’m working,” she told the Express.
“But I have made it work. Even on my lunch break, I’ll say I’m going to vlog something today, and it’s just having that element of like, you need to stop letting yourself stop you from doing what you want to achieve.”
Working full-time in finance, Alix continued creating vlog-style videos documenting café visits, shopping trips and life in Jersey, gradually building an online community centred around coffee culture.
As her audience grew, so did the idea for Blonde.
“Blonde has always been the name that I was going to call any sort of business,” she said.
“I had this idea, which has always stuck. But then I just kept making up excuses of why I couldn’t do it.
“Then I started the vlogging and I thought, I want to romanticise my life, and me going and getting my coffee, getting my matcha.
“It’s something I love and something I’m passionate about, so I started doing that, and then as my followers went up. I thought, right, now’s the prime opportunity.”
To prepare for launching the business, Alix completed a barista course at Highlands College before travelling to Japan to learn more about matcha.
“I booked to go to Japan, because I needed to source some good matcha, and I needed to learn how to make it properly,” she said.
“Then I did a matcha course in Japan, which was the coolest thing I have ever done. My matcha, as well, is from Japan, which I think makes it even more special.”
The Blonde logo was designed by local creative Molly in the Matrix, with Alix adding her own finishing touches to create the branding she’d imagined for years.
Her first pop-up was originally stocked to serve fewer than 100 customers, but after announcing the event on TikTok, interest quickly exceeded expectations, prompting her to increase production ahead of today’s launch.
Alongside pop-ups, Alix has also been experimenting with Friday morning office deliveries, allowing customers to order drinks through social media.
She hopes Blonde will inspire other young people to pursue their own ideas.
No matter how small and how silly you think it is, if you’re passionate about something, do it
alix page
“From seeing all the young girls, it just makes my heart melt, and it makes me want to be that positive influence on young people who watch my videos,” said Alix.
“No matter how small and how silly you think it is, if you’re passionate about something, do it. Even if you don’t know what you want to do, what’s meant for you won’t pass you by.”
Today’s pop-up is just the first step in what Alix hopes will become a permanent business.
“My goal is to do the pop-ups, have my little mobile [stall], and then eventually, when I’ve gained enough audience, then I’ll think about having my own shop.
“This is never gonna stop, I’m hoping like this is like my gateway to it being bigger, better.”
@alixpagee which flavour next?!! 💗🍵⭐️🫶🏼🧁@blondematchajsy #SmallBusiness #jersey #matcha ♬ original sound – GillyGoose
