After more than a decade working in community facilities and school academies, Newcastle entrepreneur Mark Graham decided to change direction and create something of his own. The result is KULT Gosforth: an independent coffee, wellness and community space bringing something different to Gosforth High Street.
Hi, I’m Mark Graham, founder of KULT Gosforth.
KULT was created from a simple idea: to build somewhere that combined brilliant coffee, wellness and genuine community under one roof.
I didn’t want it to feel like a traditional café or another version of something already available. I wanted KULT to have its own personality, a modern, welcoming space where people could meet, work, attend an event or simply take some time out with a good coffee.
Today, KULT serves speciality coffee alongside matcha, smoothies, protein drinks, açaí bowls, protein oats and a growing selection of simple food. But the menu is only one part of what we’re building.
More Than a Coffee Shop
KULT occupies two floors on Gosforth High Street, giving us the opportunity to create different experiences within one venue.
Downstairs is our everyday coffee and wellness space. It is where customers meet friends, work remotely, grab something after the gym or settle in with their regular order.
Upstairs gives KULT another dimension. The space is used for private celebrations, workshops, meetings, wellbeing activities and community events.
We’ve welcomed run clubs, local groups, businesses, families and people looking for somewhere distinctive to host an occasion. Developing this side of KULT has reinforced my belief that independent venues can become much more than places where people simply purchase something and leave.
I want KULT to be somewhere people feel connected to.
From Community Facilities to KULT
Before opening KULT, I spent around 12 years working in community facilities.
That experience taught me a great deal about managing buildings, developing services and bringing different groups of people together. Most importantly, it showed me that a successful venue isn’t defined only by how it looks, it is defined by what happens inside it and how people feel when they visit.
For a long time, my career was secure and familiar. However, as I approached 40, I began questioning whether I wanted to follow the same routine indefinitely or finally attempt something I had created for myself.
Staying comfortable gradually started to feel riskier than making a change.
KULT became that change.
Learning as I Build
I entered hospitality without years of barista experience or a background running cafés. There has been a huge amount to learn, from creating the right menu and customer experience to managing staff, events and the everyday realities of an independent business.
Not everything has worked first time. I’ve made mistakes, changed ideas, adapted the offer and learned more through experience than I ever could have learned from a business textbook.
Opening a coffee shop also quickly destroys the romantic image of an owner sitting peacefully in the corner drinking flat whites.
On any given day, I might be the owner, barista, cleaner, content creator, event organiser, maintenance person and the one trying to work out why a piece of equipment has suddenly stopped working.
It can be demanding, but it is also incredibly rewarding.
One of the nicest things anyone can say to me is simply, “I love KULT.” It means more than customers probably realise because so much thought, effort and emotion has gone into creating the business.
Building My Own Story Alongside KULT
Opening KULT has also encouraged me to begin developing my own personal brand.
I’ve started sharing more of the genuine experience of building a business: what works, what doesn’t, the decisions being made and the mistakes that inevitably happen along the way.
There is plenty of business content online from people presenting themselves as experts after they have become successful. My approach is slightly different.
I’m sharing the journey while I’m still living it.
I don’t claim to have everything figured out. I’m someone who enjoys creating ideas, testing them and learning through doing. Some ideas work, some need changing and others are best quietly forgotten—but they all teach you something.
Through my content, I want to show a more honest and entertaining side of entrepreneurship, particularly for people considering changing direction later in life.
Starting something new, especially at 40 can look like a midlife crisis from the outside. Perhaps part of it was. But it was also the realisation that I still had time to take a chance, build something meaningful and discover what I was capable of doing.
What Comes Next for KULT?
KULT is continuing to evolve.
We are developing the wellness side of the menu, introducing new collaborations and products, growing our private events and finding more ways for local groups and businesses to use the upstairs space.
The core idea remains the same: excellent coffee, accessible wellness and a strong sense of community.
I want KULT to be known not only as somewhere to grab a drink, but as an independent Gosforth venue with its own character, somewhere people choose to meet, spend time and return to.
The business is still developing, and so am I. That is what makes the journey interesting.
You can visit KULT on Gosforth High Street and follow the café at @kult.gosforth.To follow my honest journey through business, creativity and starting again at 40, find me at @itsmarkgraham (Instagram/TikTok).
