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Brother and sister duo, 25 and 18, convert vintage horse box into new mobile coffee and cake trailer

Shauna and Benjamin Aris.
Shauna and Benjamin Aris.

A brother and sister duo are ‘loving every minute’ of the journey after setting up their own business together.

Benjamin (Ben) and Shauna Aris have spent the past few months travelling across the Highlands to spread the word of their new venture NaeBad Coffee and Cake.

Tain Community Market and The Loch Ness Ultra Marathon are just some of the events that Ben, 25, and 18-year-old Shauna have attended.

Sticky toffee loaf.
Sticky toffee loaf.

But what was it that made the pair eager to go into business together?

A connection with baking

“We’ve both worked in hospitality previously to this venture but nothing we saw ourselves doing on our own,” Shauna said.

“We’re both young and, to be honest, we purchased the trailer without much thought to begin a project together.”

Ben and Shauna were brought up around cake and, with their mum being a baker by trade and running her own business in the past, they were left inspired.

Ben Aris.
Ben Aris.

Ben said: “This is where all our training and expertise has come from.

“We’ve both, of course, had many baking lessons in the past but this is something Shauna has taken more seriously.

“Before opening NaeBad, many days were spent in the kitchen so Shauna was more than prepared to bake for the customers.”

The making of NaeBad

In terms of what they were looking for in a trailer, the siblings were keen to work together to convert one from scratch into a coffee and cake trailer.

Land Rovers and vintage vans were among the options, but Ben and Shauna went down the horse box route.

The chosen trailer for NaeBad Coffee and Cake is 12 feet by 6 feet.

Shauna said: “We got very excited about everything and began to plan, knowing we would probably never go ahead with anything.

Coffee and a scone.
Coffee and a scone.

“A horse box came up for sale on Facebook in our local area one Sunday and it was delivered the following day.

“When the horse box was delivered we knew there was a lot of work that needed doing – as you could easily see the large amounts of rust over the majority of the trailer.”

The trailer was ripped back to its shell and all work was started from scratch, with the duo even adding new walls and a floor.

With no experience in refurbishing, they took a leap of faith and faced the challenge head-on.

“We completed all conversions ourselves until we reached the electrics stage where we got a local electrician in to do that for us,” said Ben.

“After this, we could complete everything else ourselves, including paint work.

“As a whole, we learned so much throughout everything.

“We totally stressed ourselves out at times but loved the whole process and seeing that everything and every step had been competed by us kept us going and now makes us even more proud now.”

Pancakes, toasties and cakes

NaeBad Coffee and Cake customers can look forward to tucking into a range of fresh food and drinks while stocks last.

Some products are suitable for vegans.

The coffee beans are supplied by Inverness Coffee Roasting Co and all bakes are made by Shauna.

Sweet menu items at previous events have included banana and cinnamon loaf, rocky road, apple and blackcurrant slices, lemon loaf and fruit flapjacks, as well as Scotch pancakes served with either lemon syrup, berry compote, Nutella or butter.

Rocky road.

In terms of savoury choices, toasted ciabatta paninis with the following fillings have also been available in the past:

  • Cheddar
  • Cheddar and tomato
  • Cheddar and homemade red onion chutney
  • Tomato, roasted red pepper and basil pesto

“We were so excited and nervous for our first event in May – at Wildwoodz for the Exclusively Highlands craft and food market – as everything was a first for us, but it could not have gone better.

“It was so nice to see so many people walking round in the glorious sun.”

Shauna inside the trailer.

‘We’re loving every minute’

NaeBad Coffee and Cake is a part-time venture for Ben and Shauna, who admitted to ‘loving every minute’ of the journey.

Benjamin works full-time and Shauna studies full-time, too.

Ben said: “It had been a long journey for us during conversions and planning of everything but now, the ball is rolling.

“A lot of hard work has gone into it so far and it’s just brilliant to be getting the support from everyone now that we’re open and serving.


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