Coffee shop family enjoy latte, latte fun

FAMILY business – Annie, Tim, David and Racheal Olsen at Borders’ Starbucks.

STOCKPORT family is creating a stir by all working for the same coffee shop chain.

Annie Olsen, of Styal Road, Heald Green, has been employed by Starbucks for seven years and now manages the outlet in Borders, at the Peel Centre, Portwood.

And the American chain is proving a great ‘saucer’ work with her husband Tim now manager at the Manchester Airport branch, son David, 20, supervisor in Fallowfield and 15-year-old daughter Rachel also hoping to join the company next year.

Annie, 41, said: “It certainly gives us something in common to talk about over the dinner table and there is a bit of light-hearted competition to see who can serve the most people. All working for the same firm can have its advantages as sometimes it’s the only thing you can get your teenage children to talk about.

“It all started when my husband, who is American, suggested I apply for a job as you are given free coffee and he was often complaining about the coffee over here.”

Annie began part-time work at Starbucks while studying psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Once her course had finished, she decided to carry on at Starbucks rather than finance herself through more studies to qualify as a counsellor.

David was next – originally with a Saturday job, before Tim, 47, then decided not to be left out and joined as a manager.

Only Annie’s daughter Hannah, aged 17, has so far resisted the lure of serving up lattes and cappuccinos.

“She must get quite bored of us always going on about our work,” said Annie.

“But we love our jobs and every day is different. David even met his hero Samuel L Jackson when he came in to his shop for a coffee! I’d definitely recommend working there, we all would.”