Sister's question inspired friends to create business empire

A sister’s advice inspired a coffee shop which has been flooded with customers since it opened last month.

Rory McLellan and Craig Reeves have been friends for years. The pair both worked in retail but looked on somewhat enviously as other people ran their own businesses selling food and drinks.

It was until a suggestion from Craig’s sister, Justine, that things changed for them. Speaking to the ECHO, Rory, a 32 year-old from Melling, told the ECHO: “My background is with Starbucks. I was with them for a solid ten years. I would open the shops in the morning and teach the staff. Craig was with Asda in HR then he moved over to Greggs.

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“We’ve known each other for the best part of 12 years. We always used to say, this person’s doing this, this person’s doing that, while we’re the little man.

“It was Craig’s sister who said, why don’t you do something together? We both looked at each other and had this epiphany moment.”

The pair came up with the idea of making hot drinks and delicious food in a horse trailer, and began taking the idea around the country. Rory said: “We got a horse trailer and signed it off. Craig started networking. We hit the road running. It’s escalated from small town markets to big cities to Glastonbury.”

Rory is originally from a remote part of Inverness. Growing up, the local railway station was far more than just a place where commuters passed through. Rory said: “The spot to go was the train station, which also had a shop. It was kind of normal to go to the station and have a coffee.” Everyone from the area would visit, even if they weren’t hopping onto a