FARMERS markets, sporting events, horse shows, festivals, weddings - there’s hardly any gathering nowadays that doesn’t feature a bunting-festooned vintage horsebox coffeeshop or bar, serving up a cup of good coffee, slice of cake and even cocktails.
Recycled horseboxes are spotted in several countries from Australia to the United States with the majority found in the U.K. Often Rice and Beaufort models, they’re a popular sight here too with their sophisticated coffee machines often costing more than the salvaged horsebox itself.
With Christmas markets in full swing around the country, it’s been another busy weekend for Kellie Cadman, husband Frank Kelly and their family.
“We move indoors this time of year as we run the Sligo Christmas Market in the Quayside Shopping Centre. Our fully loaded hot chocolates, and Christmas-inspired flavours add a little splash of seasonal greetings to our menu.”
Their Get Grounded mobile unit started off as a sideline. “In a previous life, pre-children, we had a few coffee shops in Sligo. One day, about six or seven years ago, Frank had the brainwave of converting a wreck of an old box hanging around at home in our South Sligo Stables yard. Definitely one of his better ideas!”
A common denominator of all three stories is the welcome contribution made by ‘in-house’ help in converting these finds. “Doing all the work on the conversion ourselves, we could put our own stamp on it, and luckily we rub along well enough to work in a tight space! Our style could probably be described as shabby chic. Things have to be organised and efficient and I suppose we are a bit like the ‘couple from Father Ted’ at times!” Kellie said, laughing.
Another is finding the right pitch and building up a repeat customer base. “When we started out, we used to go to the opening of an envelope. Luckily, we are now established enough to have our regular locations: Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, Tubberbride Stables, St Angela’s College, Healy’s Garden Centre on the edge of Lough Gill to name a few.”
The Lavender Horsebox: Ellecia Vaughan and Nicole O’Malley serve up one of their signature Melody’s Brews to Louisburgh Show committee member Breege Tolan \ Susan Finnerty
Coffee beans and bolts
For teacher Eoin Manning, his Country Tea House was the perfect match for his spare time during summer holidays. “As a secondary school teacher, I had some spare time in the summer and although most of that was taken up with farming and horses, I wanted to do something constructive.”
A lack of good coffee at shows and then spotting a converted coffee shop at Moate Show led to his launch. “The Vintage Parlour it was called and I thought that was a very cool idea. So I looked them up online, got ideas from pictures and thought, ‘Lets get going.’
“Where did I find it? In different parts all over the country! The horsebox frame itself was probably the cheapest part. It was €600 and it was just the roof, floor and uprights, which were all very sound.”
“I bought it in Bunclody and on the way home to Rathowen, near Mullingar, I stopped into Bracken’s Sawmills in Co. Tipperary and got the tongue and groove larch boards for the sides.
Eoin too did the vast majority of the conversion work, except for the electrical and welding work. “I was lucky in that my father Ian is an electrician, I knew it was safe once he’d done it. All the rest I did myself, down to the painting, stencilling and sign writing.”
And that included painting red each of the 400 bolts on the Country Tea House with its cream roof and larch sides, sealed with yacht varnish.
“Agri shows were my main events, then other events like the Festival of Fire at Uisneach. I tried out other things like parking on the Mullingar-Athlone Greenway but there really wasn’t the footfall. Then, during Covid, I set up by the side of the road in the first summer lockdown, that was a great time actually. I really enjoyed it, although it was short-lived enough, just the length of that lockdown. You’d get regular callers, people calling back on their way home from work.”
And Baby Makes Three: Eoin Manning makes a return visit to Longford County Show with newborn daughter Christina and wife Laura, pictured with show secretary Bernie Whyte \ Susan Finnerty
V-front find
And then there’s Melody’s Brew, the coffee box that must surely enjoy the most idyllic site of all with its stunning views of Inisturk and Clare Island, in Killadoon, near Louisburgh. Nicole O’Malley too saw a market opportunity.
“There were a couple of reasons for starting up; I liked the idea of a solid project, an outlet for creativity and I was confident enough I could make it work. There was a gap in our area for a long time in a very remote, paradisiacal part of Ireland.”
“I understood the science and art of coffee and I was secondary school-teaching online at the time in December 2020. That was new and challenging but I no longer had a two-hour commute time. Foreign travel was highly unlikely in 2021.”
Again, family played a role. “I spent a few weeks trying a find a good 1970s V-front model that wasn’t ready to fall apart. I asked my uncle John, who lives up that side of the country, to go and take a look at one in Enfield around Christmas. He more or less arrived to the yard with it later that day. An Irish Draught mare had been in it the week before, I believe!
“My brother Jason was handy enough at carpentry and a lot of things actually. He was also studying online and could help me. In fairness to him, he did most the heavy duty work, from the hatch to the flooring.
“I paid the bills, did the research and anything else I could do. In fact, everyone in my family contributed in some way, even the dog was good company for tiling!”
Where did her horsebox, with its “fresh lavender purple branding. You’d do well to miss it!” get its name?
“A nice mare, belonging to my uncle, had the name Melody. Now people often think it’s my name, which is entertaining.”
Her customers usually arrive via two and four-wheeled means or by Shanks pony, but there’s also another unique set. Riders from Horse Back West, the local stables run by Shauna O’Malley, often stop off for a latte on horseback.
“We’ve had a lot of school events and other private party events but next year, we have one or two different areas we’ll be working in, which is exciting.
“There were some comical reactions from people who discovered us in April 2021 when we first opened, a time that seems difficult to relate to now, when a takeaway coffee was the height of your week,” she added, reflecting on lockdown treats.
The boom since for horsebox conversions has driven up the price of old horseboxes, “This year you could pay up to €3,000 for a basic shell,” Nicole revealed.
"Always up for the craic and banter”: The tight-knit crew of Sarah, Kellie, Frank and Jack Kelly \ Kellie Cadman
Red tape
Rules and regulations have to abided by. “Keeping a clean, organised cart makes it so much easier to adhere to health regulations and yes, you do need to have insurance and permission to trade,” Kellie said.
“In terms of insurance and red tape, I have to say it was very straightforward. I wasn’t doing any food prep on board, just teas and coffees. Anne Fitzgerald, a neighbour from Lough Inny Lodge B&B and my sister-in-law Tia, who are both registered bakers, did the baked goods.”
“The HSE considered it low risk but of course it did have to be very clean and cleanable,” Eoin explained, adding: “Insurance was also very reasonable from MAST (Markets Alive Support Team Ltd.), less than €300. Have to say they’re a great company, very supportive of market traders.”
“Of course there’s regulations to adhere to but I found it relatively easy, I must say. Again, a lot of calls and research. Melody’s is insured with a catering-specific broker which I find very helpful for support, advice and advertising.
“Similarly, with health regulations, becoming educated and practicing what is expected of you as a food business and premises owner, makes it very straightforward,” advised Nicole.
What also makes the day as smooth as their artisan coffee blends is having the right team.
“Just blessed to have our daughter Sarah and son Jack working alongside us. We are a tight-knit crew, always up for the craic and banter,” said their mother fondly. Sarah, a keen show jumper, makes bespoke cavaletti fences as well as cappuccinos while still finding time to produce her Hermes de Reve mare Achonry Carie, in-foal to Phenomene Bleu VDM.
“She’s now off on maternity leave! So it was just timed nicely for the Christmas rush as there’s 10 horses and a donkey in the stables now,” she said. “It means getting up at 6.30am most days to get the yard work done before we leave for the market but Jack and I rotate days, so we get time off too.
“Jack is also a qualified welder and is planning to set up his own business in the new year.
“Team members? My brothers William, Michael and Kevin all help out. Kevin was the main second-in-command, he came to all of the events,” listed Eoin.
And for Nicole? “Ellecia Vaughan is great and was working with me for the summer after graduating. Also Rachel [Reed] opened up with me and got us through a crazy 2021, she was across the water in the US this summer. I’m very lucky to have had them both.”
Gas ring to engagement ring
The best part of the job for Kellie? “Hmmm, so many to choose from...probably going home and counting the money! No, we meet the most wonderful people, from all walks of life, and they are all so nice to us because we are serving them the liquor of life!”
Eoin said: “Meeting people and the craic you’d have was mighty, especially at agricultural shows. The social meeting point that I was providing was a great feeling. Obviously, there was the odd day when you made a nice few pound. But, truth be told, if you didn’t have the free time, you wouldn’t want to be doing it as a money-making venture if you average out all the good with the bad days.”
“My morning coffee, of course!” Nicole responded. “Certainly the people, I meet people from all walks of life. I’ve had some fascinating conversations over the counter, I also like hearing about what people have been up to in the area and building a relationship with customers and suppliers.
“It’s nice having the same people back again and again. Dogs too!
“Contributing to the local economy is also very important and rewarding for me, all my suppliers are hand-picked and local. Promoting the area I grew up in is a unique aspect. The autonomy to come up with new ideas or events, where people can meet up, exercise and spend time outdoors, like yoga and coffee or hike and coffee. Just endless opportunities.”
With the Kelly family “flat out” at the Sligo Christmas market, Kellie has this parting advice: “Remember to smile while you still got teeth and to always ‘Get Grounded!’”
Meanwhile, Nicole and Eoin have taken a sabbatical from their ventures.
Lockdown lifted and summer over, Nicole took the opportunity to travel around South America. “I’m just back from Bolivia and currently in Puno, Peru beside Lake Titicaca. I am studying for a MSc in Psychology online and working part-time online creating content.
“The plan is to get to Ecuador and Columbia in the New Year at my own pace while improving my Spanish and gaining an informal education on cultural diversity.
“I’ve been able to draw parallels to the Mayo-Connemara landscape in parts of Bolivia so far. I just haven’t spotted any lavender horseboxes roadside yet!
“Learning about high-altitude-grown coffee in the Andes has been interesting so far, maybe there will be things I’ll bring back to my business. I’ll be looking forward to reopening in our usual spot at Killeen, en-route to Silver Strand, again next summer.
Eoin sold the Country Tea House. For the most romantic of reasons though.
“At the end of that lockdown summer, there was five days when I said have to stop the coffee trailer business and get a holiday before going back to school in September.
“So I went on a cycling holiday to Donegal and that’s where I met Laura. We met up there, we’ve been together since and got married a year and a day after meeting!
“I decided to propose in springtime and I suppose you could say I sold the Country Tea House in order to fund the engagement ring.”
The couple brought baby daughter Christina to Longford County Show this summer, one of Eoin’s previous pitches. “Any show I’m at, especially in the morning at set up time, I get a longing to be lighting up the coffee machine! I’d love to get back into it, I’d love the job of doing up another trailer, but it mightn’t be for a little while yet. Christina will be helping me out in the next one!”
There’s been a couple of learning curves along the road - like accidentally serving cold coffee one breezy day after the wind extinguished the Country Tea House’s Burco boiler.
And lovely surprises too such as Hollywood actress Hilary Swank amongst Get Grounded’s customers at Carrowmore, where on another occasion this summer, Dutch artist Anne Jitske Salverda ‘signed’ their visitors’ book with a beautiful watercolour sketch of their horsebox-coffeeshop.
Bringing vintage horseboxes back on the road while serving up the nation’s caffeine fix - Ireland’s mobile coffee van business is the right brew.
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