The Coffee Box in Aberdeen serves up coffee and bakes for visitors to the Westburn Park – with an important message on every cup.
The quaint park takeaway was the brain child of Teresa Bremner, commercial manager at Clan Cancer Support in Aberdeen.
“It seemed that there was a gap in the market, as there is nothing in close vicinity that sells a nice coffee,” Teresa says.
“Duthie Park has a thriving café, as does Hazelhead Park.
“And we identified that there was nothing in the lovely Westburn Park or the Victoria Park across the road.
“The Westburn Park and Victoria Park are lovely parks, and now people can have a nice coffee to really enhance their experience when they visit.”
What is ‘the cherry on top of the icing’?
Staff started serving coffee lovers from a converted horse box in the park last August.
At The Coffee Box, customers can enjoy coffee from Aberdeen roasters Long Walk Coffee, donuts from Dough & Co, as well as other snacks.
“The reaction from customers has been absolutely great,” she adds.
“We’ve built up some regulars that love the fact that they can come to The Coffee Box.
“The cherry on top of the icing is really when you start having conversations with people.
“The baristas have been trained to thank customers for their donation to Clan after they pay.
“And then people realise that purchasing a coffee means that they are also donating to Clan.”
All the profit that The Coffee Box makes as a trading business goes back into Clan Cancer Support.
“The Coffee Box came from a shared vision of improving people’s lives,” explains Teresa.
“We want customers to enjoy taking some time for themselves.
“And the strap line of ‘strength in every cup’ is a nod to the strength and resilience of our clients facing a cancer situation.”
“We don’t like queues because we want to serve people as quickly as possible,” she adds.
“But I love it when I drive by The Coffee Box and see people there, knowing they are having nice – and important – conversations.”
Donations helped bring The Coffee Box to Aberdeen
Despite the cold weather causing some issues in the horse box, it has proved popular with parents, children, local residents, dog walkers and more.
“There is so much going on in the park,” adds Teresa.
“You’ve got the bowling club, tennis facilities.
“On a Saturday morning, there are tennis lessons, and the parents will come and have a coffee while their kids play, or they will buy them a donut for when they’re finished.
“It is a lovely contribution to the park.”
I asked Teresa what she is most proud of with The Coffee Box.
She says: “I think it’s knowing that you’re contributing to the wider Clan.
“You’re contributing to the support that people need at a really, really difficult time in their lives.”
The horse box itself was a donation, explains Teresa.
“A gentleman was selling his daughter’s old horse box. I made the inquiry, and when he discovered that it was for Clan, he actually donated it free of charge.”
The full refit of the horse box – which included new flooring, ventilation, and a fully-fitted kitchen – was installed by employee volunteers at Bilfinger, while the water system and electric work was done by North East Services.
“So the whole project over a few months was a donation to Clan, which was absolutely fantastic,” adds Teresa.
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