Harvey’s Coffee House has launched a campaign to remain open, after high rent rates left the café in peril.

In a post shared on Harvey’s Instagram account on Sunday (02/03), it was announced that the café may close its doors at the end of the 2024-5 academic year.

The post said that the café had become financially unsustainable, citing rising costs and urged students to “Help us save Harvey’s coffee house”.

They pointed to the rent of the site as the most significant cause of financial concern, indicating that they would not be able to survive without lower rent.

It also mentioned the cost of wages as a source of financial stress, saying that all employees are paid a minimum of £18 per hour.The shop prides itself on sourcing all of its goods locally in order to support businesses in the region.

The café opened in 2022 on the Harvey Court site for Gonville and Caius College. It was announced as a major win for Caius students, who have been campaigning for an undergraduate café for years.

The coffee house has been incredibly popular for Caians and other students alike, with its location at Sidgwick making it a popular haunt for many humanities students. In a recent Varsity article, it was ranked as the best option for a Sidgwick lunch, scoring 9/10 from the reviewer.

One student told Varsity that: “The café has completely revitalised the space and I think it’s a really incredible café. It’s my favourite café in Cambridge. I will always go there when I’m in Cambridge over the holidays. During my intermission year, I wielded my Harvey’s tote bag with big pride.”

“As quite an anxious person. It’s always really lovely going in there and being able to speak to everyone. It’s a really comfortable space, to take a break from the library or to sit and study with a damn good coffee.” they continued.

The post garnered lots of attention from students, with non-Caius societies such as Newnham Psychology Society posting the graphic on their stories.

The decision to potentially close the coffee house has been criticised by Caius students, with one saying that “I’m annoyed at the College that they would up the rent because they know as well as we do that that space would just be left empty without the café.”

“I think the College benefits a lot from it because they can use as an example to prospective students of how fun and how nice the College is,” they continued.

Another student, who describes themself as a Harveyʼs lover, stated: “This is devestating news. With the downfall of Harveyʼs would come the downfall of Sidgwick Site. Harveyʼs has remained my go-to procrastination station since first year.

“I am not sure how I, or my degree, will ever recover from this painful loss,” they continued.

The post has now been removed from the Coffee House’s Instagram page. However, hours before the post went down, the group also uploaded a statement on their story thanking students for an “outpouring of support” for the institution.

This news comes after Caius was also criticised over its treatment of a separate tenant, Wilfred’s sweet shop, last year.

The shop was shut down recently, after Wilfred’s did not excercise their right to renew the lease.

This decision was disputed by the owner of the shop, who claimed that he “sent impassioned pleas to both the bursar and the Master of the college to reopen negotiations”.

At the time a Caius spokesperson noted that “the tenant had a statutory right to a new lease but did not exercise it. We hope Wilfreds finds alternative premises.”

A spokesperson for Gonville & Caius College said: “We do not comment on commercial relationships. Harvey’s Coffee House is valued by the College and wider community.”