This time last year an opportunity arose: to serve our delicious coffee and more to commuters, travellers and visitors at Cholsey railway station. Keen to secure steady weekday trade for the horsebox alongside our weekend events, I pursued it. This particular opportunity meant a lot to me, having grown up in Cholsey with my horse and the horsebox, and with my own fond memories of the station. Trading began on Monday 7th December 2015. I always knew it was going to be hard work with early starts but I enjoyed the pre-Christmas cheer and quickly gained a core of loyal regulars who made it all seem worthwhile. And the cold temperatures were bearable with the warmth from my beautiful Bosco lever espresso machine.
In the spring I joined up with ‘The Wandering Feast’, a fabulous street food collective headed up by the lovely Jo and Ed of the Wandering Kitchen. It turned out that Horsebox speciality coffee and brownies were a welcome addition to these delicious lunchtime street food festivals. I enjoyed pitches at Harwell, Milton Park, and then Abingdon Business Park.
It soon became apparent that the horsebox, though perfect for presenting our speciality coffee at all-day events, was not designed for this kind of roaming coffee service. Keen to grow, I started planning a second vehicle to deliver Horsebox coffee and more. The 2CV, (Deux Chevaux) seemed perfect, with its iconic style, countryside design and horsey connection in the name. When I came across this particular 2CV, built in 1972 (the year I was born), a little shabby around the edges but from a loving home and with a good track record, it was love at first sight.
It’s been a busy few months of planning and getting it ready for action. A real team effort. All possible thanks to:
Ric & Ray – extremely kind and helpful vendors
Chris – friendly & informative local 2cv owners club leader
Dave – talented and diligent metal worker
Bruce – speedy, experienced and patient joiner & fitter
Justin – knowledgeable and highly trained gas fitter
Nic – old friend, espresso machine supplier and guru
Dereck and Max – the beautiful body workers
Steve & Jordan – adaptable and helpful electricians
And not forgetting Sally, who has helped out in the horsebox since our launch and has pledged to share the early starts
It’s been a busy few months of planning and getting it ready for action. A real team effort. So here it is:
Horsebox coffee, with Horsebox style and Horsebox service. Along with tasty teas, Horsebox hot chocolate, freshly-baked pastries, cakes and of course our legendary Horsebox brownie. The 2CV van has been running for decades and they are still going strong. So, like our beautiful Bosco espresso machine; simple yet innovative, high-quality engineering, designed for hard work and daily use, we plan to be out and about throughout the week helping you enjoy delicious coffee wherever you are. Deux Chevaux Espresso is planning to grow. Do let us know if you would like delicious coffee wherever YOU are.
