When I arrive at their temporary retail premises in Partick, Sean Williams and Megan McFarlane have just locked up shop after a busy day’s work. They welcome me into a café space that, like so many right now, is used for storage rather than seating: a single table at the doorway for service. We settle in for a (socially distanced) chat.

You would be hard-pushed to meet a more down-to-earth, laid back and welcoming couple. It’s immediately clear that these guys genuinely love what they do. I am beguiled by their story, of how the set out in business, the challenges they have overcome, and where they intend to get to. Behind the couple’s modesty is an undeniably impressive store of talent, hard work and tenacity.

It all began with the couple driving through Europe, en route to pick up Sean’s car, temporarily abandoned in Estonia after completing the Mongol rally. As they drove through Stockholm, a Piaggio Ape drove past and Megan recalled how her father had bought one fifteen years prior with the dream of setting up a mobile service in the business district of Inverness. They contemplated how cool it would be to resurrect this dream back home in Glasgow. It became the topic of conversation for the rest of the trip. “We discussed whether we could make it work, what the plan would be, and what we’d call the business” explained Megan.

On return to Scotland, Sean and his father set about the restoration process. It would take six months of hard graft before the truck could be shipped down to Glasgow. The intention was to obtain a license to trade at festivals and events across the country. In the meantime, the couple had secured a small industrial unit in Firhill, Glasgow, where they would prepare their cold brew and from where they could sample their wares. But that was February 2020.

Two weeks after launching their business, the first lockdown came along. The doors were closed then both Megan and Sean were struck down with COVID. Sean’s recovery took the best part of two months. When restrictions were eased in May, the dream of taking the truck on the road remained on hold as the council deprioritised street trading licences. “At that point we had to consider whether to chuck in the whole idea or take it in a new direction. We chose to find our feet and power through it.” explains Sean. The pair continued to trade from their industrial unit: an unlikely setting, but one that would nurture something of a cult underground following. “It was a proper garage operation” Megan says with a smile.

During this time, they also rocked up with a keg of cold brew at the Dockyard social, an assertive move that would lead to a semi-permanent pod at this popular street food event. This was the ideal platform from which to experiment with coffee flavour pairings such as banana, bitter orange and pistachio, and to develop cold brew cocktails, earning a reputation for coffee innovation.