Coffee fanatics Luke and Jessica own one of Liverpool's smallest yet most passionate businesses.
By now you will have probably noticed the vintage, renovated horsebox nestled comfortably at the edge of Sefton Park. Decked out with sophisticated black panelling and renovated into a business on wheels, the pop-up coffee shop, West Coast Coffee, is spearheaded by business partners and newlyweds, Luke Whiteside and Jessica Eley.
Luke, 32, and Jessica, 31, have led the business for almost two years, spreading their love of coffee to everyone from local traders to festival goers. Their venture began over a decade ago after a trip to Australia stirred up their love of brewing after experiencing the local coffee scenes.
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The Formby couple lived in Australia for five years, with a brief stint in New Zealand for two, where they honed their craft as baristas and managers. Covid regulations forced the couple to relocate back to the United Kingdom but not without a newfound passion to take their knowledge and experience of the Australian scene to a new audience.
Luke told the Echo: "There are loads of cool coffee carts in Australia and we didn't see one when we came back here so we thought why not do it." Jessica said: "We've seen it in London so why not do it in Liverpool?
Luke added: "We just wanted to bring it here in Liverpool and especially Lark Lane because the area is starting to become about speciality coffees so we wanted to be like a part of that.
Jessica added: "We wanted to do something that was a bit different. So when we first started it we asked, 'Do we open a shop or do we try and do things a little bit differently,' so that's where the coffee cart idea came from. It was just a matter of putting it in the park. We just kind of thought, 'You know what, let's just give it a go.'"
The couple saved up for years to afford the shop. They dipped into their savings and sold their car in order to inject a hefty £20,000 into kickstarting the business. Getting hands-on with the project, Luke and Jessica worked in unison to create a picture-perfect front of house which they both admit they're proud to own.
Once they had the horsebox set up, decorated, and fully renovated with all the brewing intricacies they needed, it was just a matter of opening their doors. Jessica said: "It's been about a year and a half now but it's been amazing so far. It's definitely taken time. It took a good year for people to recognise what we're about and trying to build a little bit of a social media presence so people know where we are. We just had to just do it really."
West Coast Coffee is open to the public from Wednesday to Sunday, from 8:30am to 2:30pm. On Jessica and Luke's off days, they're still working tirelessly to bring customers the best cup of coffee they can, working Monday and Tuesday roasting the coffee themselves.
Since October, West Coast Coffee has crafted its own brand from Brazilian and Columbian imports which can be purchased direct from their Sefton Park site. Luke and Jessica consciously pay more than average for the product to ensure the farmers responsible for delivering the coffee are paid fairly.
Giants of the coffee industry dominate city centres but in Lark Lane, where there is no shortage of independent owners, it's less about competition and more about leading with passion. Luke said: "It's been amazing. Everyone's really pushing each other because we all started somewhere.
"They're all really supportive and friendly. [Other traders] come here for coffee and sometimes we go to them. It's really close-knit and nice which is great to deal with."
The couple are fresh from a trip from Barcelona and even though they work and live together, Luke and Jessica can't get enough of each other. Jessica said: "I always remember my lecturer telling me that you want to enjoy your job because you spend most of your life with your colleagues so it is quite nice to be able to spend your time with your partner."
Luke added: "We were working separate jobs before this and only seeing each other on weekends. It can get intense sometimes when it's busy or you have work issues but we love working together."
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