Facebook Marketplace contains a bottomless pit of items for sale, ranging from cars and houses to bouncy castles, dumbbells, blenders and wardrobes. If you’re not careful, you’ll be scrolling the hours away and soon find yourself making senseless buys. I speak from experience.
But in some cases, those purchases can lead to something quite special – a business venture, for example. When husband and wife Pete and Caitlin Barnes spotted an old caravan and a coffee machine up for grabs on the social platform, they seized the opportunity. “That sparked an idea and was the beginning of our coffee journey.
Pete trained as a barista, and I trained in food preparation,” Caitlin tells me. Caitlin and Pete launching Lettoch Farm Coffee Company was meant to bean The couple moved to Moray – more specifically Lettoch Farm, near Dufftown – in 2019 as they were “looking for a better work-life balance,” Caitlin adds. “We now have this, although we’re busier than ever!” The 42-year-old refers to their flourishing firm Lettoch Farm Coffee Company, .
They also operate three different holiday lets, raise animals for meat and wool, and grow vegetables at the 200-year-old farm. Plus, Caitlin works part-time at The Cabin (nursery) in and makes beautiful rugs from sheep’s fleece. The entrepreneur started running workshops this year where people spend an afternoon learning about fleece preparation and how to weave, among other things.
She went on: “I have a background in teaching and Pete is a project and environment manager. “Now he works locally. This allows us to develop our business having previously worked for a large multinational company, which involved lots of overseas travel.
” Once their vintage caravan was transformed, the couple began taking it to local events such as Dufftown Farmers’ Market and the Dufftown Highland Games. They continue to do so to this day. What went into the caravan’s transformation? The ‘coffee caravan’ took more than six months to renovate.
This involved adding a hatch, worktop space and sinks, and using rustic and repurposed materials to achieve its vintage look. All the work was carried out by Pete and continues to get “lots of compliments”. “We are really proud of how it turned out.
People like the vintage look and say it’s not like any other food or drink truck you see out and about. “It is also quite spacious inside and light to maneuver, allowing us to work well at big, busy events.” ‘We pride ourselves on sourcing the best beans for our customers’ Lettoch Farm Coffee Company sells its Lettoch Farm Blend (a unique own blend with notes of chocolate, nut and caramel) and Mexican Decaf (with notes of chocolate and citrus).
The beans are sustainably sourced from small-scale producers and carefully roasted in small batches, the cups and lids are compostable, and the teas are Fairtrade and plastic-free. Caitlin emphasised that her and Pete share a passion for top-quality coffee. She added: “During 2020, when the first lockdown arrived, we had a lot of coffee beans roasted and ready to go but no events to attend.
“So, I took to Facebook and offered socially distanced home deliveries of our beans and ground coffee. “This was really popular and was an unexpected way to launch our business, but with it came lots of loyal customers and new friends. “Our own blend was developed as we learned what our customers enjoyed.
” The products can be purchased at the vintage coffee caravan directly, via the business’ website or at Netherton Farm Shop. Grind won’t stop for owners of Moray coffee company Caitlin and Pete have loved being their own bosses and meeting people through their coffee venture over the past five years, whether it be customers, volunteers or those in the local producer community such as Netherton Farm Beef, CC’s Bakery and Carol’s Been Cooking. Looking ahead, they want to “work closer with other local roasters and potentially have coffee specials, like a bean a month”.
“We are keen to promote our products in local outlets and develop our online business, and have been looking at ways to develop our farm too,” Caitlin says. “Since renovating the farmhouse, we have purchased some additional land and have been looking at ways to diversify what we do. “We joined the Go Rural Scottish agritourism network this year and have created a number of accommodation options, including a bow top wagon.
”.
