Mayvn Cafe and Ten Four LDN workspace, 4 Pentoville Road

Jason Harvey is the owner of Mayvn and Common Coffee roasters

Hi Jason! Please tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into your current role.

I started out in the coffee trade with Common Coffee roasters; a speciality coffee roaster based just outside Edinburgh, we roast from Rosemains Steading, Midlothian. I've always been interested in making exceptional coffee more accessible. I'm also really interested in coffee as a way to connect, which has led me to get involved in the creation of my second business Mayvn, a cafe space housed within co-working venues.

Mayvn, came about off the back of a chance LinkedIn message. I'm from New Zealand originally, and I wanted to connect with the New Zealand business community, here in the UK. That led to me connecting to the Ten Four team, a New Zealand owned outfit who were opening a co-working space in Edinburgh. I got on board to create a calm, design-led café space that supports focus, meeting and unwinding. Now 15 months later, the Ten Four team have opened a new co-working space on Pentoville Road complete with a second branch of Mayvn on the ground floor. What is your business inspiration? What influences the business choices you make?

I wanted to create a space where people meet, ideas grow and connections form. I also wanted it to be a calm and peaceful space to support working, focus or unwinding; creating the conditions for creativity, clarity and connection. Spaces where remarkable coffee supports conversation and where community forms naturally.

Everything we do from service, to layout, to menu design supports this. In a future shaped by technology we will need places that celebrate the human spirit and that's the intention of Mayvn; a café where you can arrive as you are, settle in and feel looked after.

What are your main challenges?

There are lots of coffee shops and cafes in Angel, so there's healthy competition. We don't see that as a bad thing though as Angel is also an area with plenty of demand; so, it feels like there is space for all of the different businesses in the footprint to carve their own niche and communities.

Another factor that has presented a bit of a challenge is making sure passers-by know that Mayvn is accessible to all, not just those using the co-working spaces. We've put in some more signage which is helping catch the attention of passers-by.

What makes your business unique? Why should people visit?

The way we've used and designed the space at Mayvn makes it different to other cafes and coffee shops. The standout architectural feature is a sculptural, pixelated timber ceiling crafted from varying lengths of European oak dowels, creating a fluid, wave‑like form that instantly draws the eye and gives the space a strong visual identity. The ceiling softens the atmosphere, adds warmth, and anchors the room with a sense of flow and depth, making the café feel both inviting and striking. Our design philosophy centres around purposeful hospitality, warm materials, good light and a layout that supports both connection and clarity; ensuring visitors feel relaxed, looked after and free to settle in for meaningful conversation or focused work.

Mayvn means connoisseur in Hebrew and we use independent stockists and suppliers, right through to our crockery, to guarantee great quality. Our pastries come from another New Zealand indie favourite, Lockdown Bakery and our coffee is from our own roastery.

Together, these elements make Mayvn a unique neighbourhood destination: a calm, beautifully considered space shaped around human experience rather than hurry

What's it like working in Angel, what do you enjoy about it? Angel is the perfect neighbourhood for us because of the diversity of people here. There are plenty of young professionals around looking for a space to work from. We also want to provide a space to connect and build community, and again, the demographic here means there are lots of people looking for that.

Thanks Jason! For updates and more, follow Ediit on Instagram, and its website.

+++ Are you an independent business in Angel and would like to feature here? Drop Sarah an email at Laura@angelislington.london.