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GLASGOW — A cocoa product manufacturer is expanding its operations to further maximize the return found in a single bean in the chocolate manufacturing market.

United Cocoa Processor (UCP), a cocoa processing plant located in Pencader Corporate Center, is on track to finish renovations to its Newark facility this summer. With a second roasting line, UCP will be able to roast 211,000 pounds of cocoa beans and nibs per day, according to applications filed with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC).

This expansion is prompted by “a significant new client,” according to documents filed with DNREC. UCP representatives would not identify this client to the Delaware Business Times, but the manufacturer serves international and domestic clients looking to buy products like cocoa liquor, butter and powders.

Established in Delaware in 1992 and led by President Jonathan Liu, UCP manufactures cocoa nibs, cocoa mass, butter and powders for bakeries, confectioneries, packaged food and ingredient distributors. Clients range from large multinational companies to single stores.

Equipment included in the expansion will clean the incoming cocoa bean and remove its shell to expose the cocoa nib. From there, the nib will be roasted and ground into cocoa mass. UCP employs approximately 120 people, and plans to add more jobs through the expansion, although it’s unclear how many new positions will be added.

Liu’s family owned a cocoa processing company in São Paulo, Brazil, but decided to relocate to Delaware due to the state’s business-friendly climate and its close proximity to Philadelphia, considered to be the epicenter of the cocoa industry in North America.

Philadelphia’s chocolate and candy industry can be traced as far back as the 1800s, with 20 small stores like Quaker City Chocolate (which produced Good & Plenty), Hershey’s and Whitman’s. Today, Philadelphia’s ports import an estimated 80% of all cocoa beans from Ghana and Indonesia.

To keep up with demand, UCP expanded in 1998 to include a bean grinding facility. That process was later refined through various improvements, and later expanded its production line to feature blocked cocoa butter, cocoa powers, and blocked cocoa liquors.

Back in 2014, UCP imported most of its beans from Brazil. But today, UCP now monitors cocoa bean quality and flavor around the globe to best fit their clients flavor profiles and beans may come as close as the Dominican Republic and as far as Southeast Asia.

Liu took over the family business in 2006, and implemented a one-of-a-kind computer system that assesses and controls the risk the company has, according to a 2014 Technical.ly Delaware article. Cocoa is a commodity that fluctuates wildly due to civil unrest and weather conditions in the Ivory Coast.

For example, in April 2018, cocoa was at $2,800 per ton but come April 2019 that price dropped to just under $2,300 per ton. As of June 14, the price of cocoa closed at $2,380 per ton.

“You might start with one ton of beans but you do not end with one ton of product. Our system is designed to assess all the risk we can get with processing cocoa. When exchanges go up and down we can react quickly. We know where we stand at any given time,” Liu told Techical.ly Delaware in 2014.

The Glass Kitchen, a 67-year-old diner-style eatery on U.S. 40 in Glasgow that's known for its family-friendly food, has been closed for at least a week.

It is unclear if the shuttering is temporary. A white sign taped to the front door Thursday said "Closed. Reopening Soon. Hopefully."

No one could be reached at the restaurant that's situated in the middle of Pulaski Highway near Del. 896 and Peoples Plaza. The phone line was disconnected Thursday.

The Glass Kitchen, with its kitschy logo of a plump chef holding a cleaver in one hand and a steaming, cloche-covered dish on a serving platter in another, is known for serving "homestyle" breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is usually open daily and has a full-service bar.

The restaurant dates back to 1952 when it was founded by Pryor "Pappy" Neuber.

From 1986 until his death in 2011, it was owned by former Glass Kitchen manager Charles J. Schreder.

The name comes from the restaurant's layout, a glass-walled kitchen in the center of the building where patrons could see food being prepared.

Neuber owned another Glass Kitchen in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which later became known as The Willows.

The Glass Kitchen has a diner feel with its vinyl booths and friendly, but sometimes no-nonsense, servers. It was featured in the 1978 book "Roadfood" by James Beard Award-winning writers Jane and Michael Stern. The pair collaborate on guidebooks about travel, food and pop culture. They declared the Glass Kitchen "our favorite restaurant in Delaware."

Glass Kitchen hallmarks are reasonable prices and generous portions. A March 8 Facebook post touted a $5.79 breakfast special that included two eggs, two pieces of bacon, a sausage link, homefries, toast and coffee or tea.

The restaurant's menu also includes dishes such as broiled flounder, hot meatloaf sandwiches, grilled ham steaks, Salisbury steak, liver and onions and rice pudding.

It was once considered one of the best diners in New Castle County, according to a News Journal dining review from 1993, but former restaurant critic Al Mascitti also noted that the room needed sprucing up. It was renovated in 2006.

In recent years, patrons have remained loyal to the longtime establishment, according to some reviews on the Glass Kitchen's Facebook page.

"My dad always stopped here on our way to Atlantic City in the late 50's and early 60's (when the city was a family resort). Good memories here!" wrote one man.

Another said, "The Glass Kitchen is becoming a nostalgic staple in my family. The food is great comfort food, from soup and sandwiches to complete dinners. Would recommend that everyone try it at least once and you will be hooked."

The operators of the Facebook page make no mention of the restaurant closing.

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A year ago, Glasgow’s West End saw the opening of Pastéis Lisboa, a Portuguese pastel de nata bakery on Byres Road. Ever since, the bakery has seen tremendous success, even with people queuing outside for the Portuguese sweet treats. And what better way to celebrate a birthday than with some said sweet treats! Pastéis Lisboa is officially giving away free pastel de nata between 9am and 5pm this Friday (August 11).

Pastéis Lisboa is Scotland’s first specialist pastelaria, and visitors will get the chance to take home a free sample of their award-winning pastel de nata, on the hour, every hour, as the bakery celebrates its first birthday this Friday.

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A post shared by Pasteis Lisboa (@pasteislisboa)

Business owners Emma Airley and Sebastian Bacewicz will be giving away a full platter of Portuguese custard tarts each hour from their store on Byres Road. Emma and Sebastian will also be running a number of competitions on the shop’s Instagram page throughout its birthday week, with a chance to win more pastel de nata tarts for those who participate.

Emma said: “We wanted to do something a bit different to thank our customers for all the support they’ve given us over the past year and for embracing our bakery so warmly. This is just the beginning of an exciting journey, as we hope to bring the taste of Portugal to more locations and create memorable experiences through our catering services and events. We look forward to many more years of serving up our authentic pastéis de nata to the people of Scotland and beyond.”

Commuters in Scotland's largest city are in uproar after its main bus company announced it was planning to axe night services completely.

Politicians demanded First Bus reverse its decision, which will affect thousands of people travelling home at night along with key workers and those employed by the night-time economy of pubs, clubs and venues.

First Glasgow has announced it will be delaying the withdrawal of its night bus services by several weeks, following the outcry. But the service still hangs in the balance.

Here's what's been happening, and how it fits into the wider picture of bus services across Scotland:

What is happening with buses in Glasgow?

First Bus has announced it is bringing the city’s night service to an end, citing poor passenger numbers as the reason.

The bus operator monitored how many people were using the night buses, but found that as few as four people per hour were using the service.

But the decision has been hugely criticised with voices from the night-time economy, women’s safety groups, politicians and poverty campaigners speaking out.

The closure of the night bus service is to take effect at the end of the month, and will impact 11 routes including Clydebank, Paisley, East Kilbride, Hamilton, Motherwell, Wishaw and Newton Mearns.

Drivers of the night bus service are to keep their jobs, but will be redeployed on daytime buses.

Duncan Cameron with Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop

What has First Bus said?

The company has said the night bus service is “not viable” and that it has absorbed losses for a year. In an exclusive interview with The Herald, Managing Director Duncan Cameron said that A 12 month period of monitoring passenger numbers showed an average of just 4800 per month using the services in total across the 11 routes.

Mr Cameron also suggested that bar workers could be trained to drive night buss after their shifts, an idea that was met with derision.

However, the company has re-entered talks with Glasgow City Council over the plan to axe 11 routes.

Who are First Bus?

First Group, the owners of First Bus, trace their routes back to the 1985 Transport Act which deregulated bus services in the UK, allowing them to be taken out of council control and run by private companies.

Originally named Grampian Regional Transport, the firm has grown massively through mergers and acquisitions and now operates bus and rail franchises across the UK – and was even involved in the American market’s Greyhound buses before selling for hundreds of millions of pounds.

Is the company doing well?

Very well. Herald Deputy Business Editor Scott Wright explains: “The First Bus division (which covers the UK) made an operating profit of £58.4m in the year to March 25, up from £45.2m. It was helped by government subsidies to encourage people to travel by bus because these incentives did work and led to more people travelling by bus. Total passenger revenue at First Bus increased to £660 million from £570m over the period.”

Why are fares so expensive?

As bus companies are private firms, they set the prices, which have been increasing year-on-year. Transport Scotland statistics show fares in Scotland have increased by 6 per cent in real terms over the last five years. However, bus services are also heavily subsided by the Scottish Government to provide concessionary travel.

But passenger numbers are falling - number of bus passengers is down by 40.3 per cent from 392m in 2016/17 before Covid hit to 234m in 2021/22. This means that companies must raise prices to secure their profits.

Why can cities like London and Edinburgh set prices and deals but Glasgow can’t?

London remains a special case as its bus network is controlled by Transport for London (TFL), a local government organisation which is also responsible for the Tube network and other transport around the UK capital. Unlike Glasgow, its bus services are not de-regulated and remain in public hands.

Likewise, Edinburgh’s buses – which have among the cheapest fares in Scotland – are controlled by the publicly-owned Lothian buses, a partnership between the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Mid Lothian and West Lothian councils.

England has capped prices, why can’t we?

Bus fares in England have been capped at £2 in an effort to get people to use public transport. Scotland went down a different route – providing free transport for people aged under 22 and over 60. In both cases the concessions have been funded by massive subsidies from the public purse – with around £300 million given to bus companies in Scotland.

Are any changes coming in Scotland?

The Transport Act of 2019 is slowly coming into force, giving local authorities the power to shake up services. Under the Act, local transport authorities are allowed to run their own bus services, franchise bus services in their areas; or enter into a Bus Service Improvement Partnerships (BSIPs) with bus operators.

The Act also introduces new regulations covering the way in which bus operators must provide information to local authorities when they plan to reduce or withdraw the services they provide.

What are campaigners saying about the night bus cancellation?

Get Glasgow Moving has been campaigning for several years to have bus services brought back under public control . The group’s spokeswoman Ellie Harrison said that Scottish Bus services are “fundamental broken”

She said: “Key workers, women, vulnerable people who rely on these services, should not be left at the mercy of a profit-driven multinational company like First.

“We urgently need our regional transport authority, SPT, to step-up and use the new 'franchising' powers in the Transport Act 2019 to re-regulate all the private bus companies in our region.

“Only then can bus services be planned and coordinated to serve communities' needs and to integrate seamlessly with trains and the Subway, with one simple affordable ticket for use across all modes with a daily price cap.

“Without this massive transformation of our region's public transport, we are never going to encourage more people to start using it and deliver our pressing climate targets by 2030.”

Have route cancellations ever been reversed?

In 2019 Citybus announced it was withdrawing its 15 route from Milngavie to Glasgow city centre. This led to a backlash from local business owners and politicians, who said it was vital that transport was kept flowing.

The company relented two months later, but with timetable changes which took into account congestion on the route – a major sticking point and a reason why the service was withdrawn.

Green MSP Ross Greer was one of those who sat down with CityBus to thrash out a plan. At the time, he said: ““For as long as our buses are ran by a barely regulated free-market model though, cuts like this will continue to happen. Public transport should be ran in the interests of the public. Publicly-owned Lothian Buses in Edinburgh is the best service in the country and there’s no reason we can’t have the same here.”

A world record-breaking cyclist who lives in Glasgow is hoping to be the first Scottish winner of the Tour de France, years after he attempted to take his own life.

Josh Quigley tried to take his own life in 2015 following a battle with depression.

The 30-year-old will now be the subject of a new documentary showcasing his journey through dealing with his mental health to breaking a world record.

Josh cycled as a child before getting back on the bike during adulthood. He soon started to set himself challenges, including one to cycle round the world.

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During his attempt in 2019, he was cycling through Texas in the US when he was hit by a car travelling at 70 miles per hour.

And while some may have treated it as a major setback, Mr Quigley said the first thing he asked when he woke up the next day was when could he get back on his bike.

He said: "When I had the crash and I woke up in hospital the next day, I was asking the doctors and nurses 'when can I get back on my bike because I want to go and finish my challenge and finish cycling round the world'.

"I was very determined and very committed to doing it, I really fell in love with cycling on that challenge.

"I had an amazing mindset and it really helped me recover. I think that's why I recovered so quickly."

His experience has inspired a new documentary made for BBC Scotland called Cycling Saved My Life.

The documentary, which makers promise will be "emotional and uplifting", follows Mr Quigley's journey over six months as he attempted to qualify for the UCI World Championships in Glasgow next month.

He finally completed his ambition to cycle around the world in 2021 and broke the world record for the longest distance cycled in one day.

Mr Quigley, originally from Livingston, gives motivational speeches at schools and colleges, but his main focus in racing and competing.

He added: "The long-term dream and goal for me is to try to make it to the highest level of cycling so that I can reach the Tour de France.

"I think for me to get to the Tour de France would be such an amazing story and I really believe I am capable of doing it so that's what I want to try and do."

Mr Quigley missed out on the Glasgow championships, but said the setback "only made me stronger".

He hopes the documentary will help people have open conversations about suicide and mental health.

He added: "Cycling is my purpose now, and I'm giving it absolutely everything - I've missed out on the championships in Glasgow but, like every setback in life, that's only made me stronger."

The documentary was made by Studio Something and directed by co-founder Jordan Laird.

He said: "There's a moment in the documentary when Josh talks about looking at a pint of lager and asking: 'There must be more to life than this?'

"That brought home how universal this story is. Josh could have been one of my mates, I know so many people feel like him, who experience mental health issues but don't talk about it.

"This is a story of the transformative power of sport, of how sport can save someone's life.

"It's a regular guy putting every ounce into something. Watching him has had a huge impact on my life and I think his story will have a huge impact on others. It's been a long time in the making, and I can't wait for people to see it."

The documentary will air on BBC One at 7.30pm on Friday, July 28.

The Samaritans can be contacted any time, from any phone, free on 116 123. You can also speak to Victim Support Scotland on 0800 160 1985 who offer free and tailored support. In an emergency, always dial 999 if within the United Kingdom.