You could travel to the other side of the world, surrounding yourself with different cuisines, people and scenery in the process.
But no matter how hard you try, your passion(s) in life will likely remain the same. In fact, they may even grow.
Louise Shepherd, 35, is a prime example of that.
From Elgin, the mum-of-one spent two years working and travelling around Australia, setting off on her adventure in 2013.
The country ignited her love of coffee and made her appreciate the sense of community around a good brew and tasty food.
But food and drink has always been an industry admired by Louise, so much so that she opened her own vintage coffee van last month, Willow and Birch.
Willow and Birch
Willow and Birch is, essentially, a vintage coffee van that spent most of its life in France working with the French Forestry Commission – Office National Des Forets (ONF).
Named Zoe by Louise, it is a 1967 Renault Estafette that was imported to the UK by a previous owner.
Zoe has undergone a huge transformation since being purchased by Louise and her husband, Nick, in December from a couple in England.
“The ONF gave inspiration for our company name, Willow and Birch,” Louise said.
“The transformation took 12 weeks from start to finish.
“My partner is a bit of a guru when it comes to this sort of thing, and thankfully he very kindly volunteered to take on the project of transforming Zoe into what you see today.”
Louise spent weeks on Pinterest and Instagram looking for design inspiration for the van and bombarded Nick with different suggestions daily.
She added: “It’s fair to say he surpassed all my expectations. It looks great and is such a great space to work in.”
Willow and Birch’s first day of trading was Friday, April 1 after Louise and Nick spent a couple of months prior identifying the best location and negotiating the relevant leases and licensing.
The couple was eventually granted permission to be based at Millbuies Country Park, located outside Elgin.
Zoë is open from 10am to 3pm Thursday to Sunday and there is plenty of seating and open space available for customers.
What can I order?
First and foremost, the coffee.
Willow and Birch stock theirs from Grain and Grind, who have a cafe and roastery in Inverness.
The van also serves:
- Speciality teas
- Chai lattes
- Handcrafted hot chocolates
- Soft drinks
Louise, the face of Willow and Birch, carries out the day-to-day running of Zoë, orders all of the stock and decides what is sold.
She said: “We are as passionate about the cakes we offer as we are about our coffee, and the cake cabinet is always stocked full of the most amazing bakes.
“We aim to have 50% of our offering vegan, which we felt was really lacking in the local area.
“All of our cakes are bought fresh every week from two local bakers – Pure Bakery and Makes by Megs.”
From Scotland to Australia
Louise, who graduated from Abertay University in 2009 with an Honours Degree in Food and Nutrition, worked in several speciality deli and takeaway coffee shops during her time in Australia which she “loved”.
“I didn’t get into coffee until I went to Australia, ” Louise said.
“There were so many amazing coffee shops and the coffee tasted great. They took coffee seriously and made sure every cup looked just right.
“I worked as a barista in a takeaway deli in North Fremantle (Perth) where everything was made fresh on-site and they sold mostly local produce. It was the most amazing shop and I loved working there.”
This role resulted in Louise making a vow to one day replicate a similar experience in a place of her own.
“Upon returning to Scotland in 2015, I wanted to do something similar to that deli – either the coffee side or food side – but then life takes over and I didn’t think about it again until autumn last year,” added Louise.
“Then I left my role as a food technologist in December to pursue my dreams.
“I wanted to spend more time with our two-year-old daughter, India, and establish my own coffee-related business.
“I’ve never been self-employed before. It’s been a steep learning curve but I already can’t imagine going back to the traditional nine-to-five working life.
“I feel so proud that I have managed to achieve something I have held a dream/vision for so many years.”