After growing up in France and falling in love with the coffee culture across the Channel, Brodie Robertson has started her own coffee van Un Petit Café in Findhorn. The 33-year-old opened the bright purple coffee van at Findhorn beach in May this year. “I never thought I could build a sense of community from a coffee van on a windy beach,” says Brodie.
“But I truly have. “I have fantastic regulars who I love talking to and who share their lives with me. “It has really been a wonderful experience!” The coffee van serves a range of coffees, bakes and French treats.
That means croissants, pain au chocolat, Lays crisps, Prince biscuits, Carambar (chewy French sweets) and Orangina. “I really wanted to capture what my childhood was like,” says Brodie. “So I brought in all my favourite things from France.
” Brodie’s family moved to France when she was six. Though her dad worked offshore from Aberdeen at the time, they realised they could live anywhere in the world as long as they were close to an airport. Un Petit Café named after loyal customer in France Working in a French bakery in Brittany as a teenager sparked Brodie’s love for coffee.
“They have a really great coffee culture in France,” she says. “And they really take their time with it. Every morning, people have their own coffee routine.
“There was this one local man who came in every day at the same time, just as we opened.” The coffee van name pays homage to that French man, as he alwa.