For the past 18 months, Lucy Draper and her trusty coffee van have supplied park-goers on Cotham Gardens with their daily dose of caffeine, along with cakes and an injection of cheerfulness that you only encounter in people who genuinely enjoy and are passionate about their work.
The genial presence of Roam Wild coffee on the green through rain, wind and sub-zero temperatures, not to mention the high quality and delicious taste of the products on offer, quickly built Lucy a following of local devotees, who she’s hoping will continue to visit now that she is opening her first permanent location on Whiteladies Road in collaboration with 404 bakes.
404 Bakes is the sister company to 404 (Not Found) and is headed up by Anna Gibbon, who has been producing stunning, creative vegan cakes for wholesale and celebrations from her bakery at the rear of the property on Whiteladies for a year. Her intention was always to have a cafe in the front, and she said the timing now seemed right to join forces with Roam Wild on a space that showcases what both businesses have to offer.
Read More: We spoke to a top chef and these are his favourite restaurants in Bristol right now
Bristol Live visited the cafe on a wet Thursday morning before its soft opening to speak to Lucy about her journey from a van to bricks and mortar and how partnering with other local businesses has helped her and them thrive. “I’ve been working with Anna since I opened the van,” said Lucy, “When I started, I really wanted to find a local cakemaker that was really good, and I tried her cakes and just thought “Yes! Definitely!” We had a really nice relationship, and then they had this space, and now that’s led to this.
“I always had in my mind about maybe having a fixed space for a cafe, but financially it just wasn’t possible, so when Anna approached me to ask, it all fitted really well, it would have been silly not to do it and give it a go, it just felt like the right thing to do.
“I think because we’re collaborating, that’s made this possible. Hopefully, we’ll see more of that, people sharing spaces because everything's going up, bills, rents, even if you have a really well-established business, its really difficult to keep up with everything at the moment.”
Small hospitality companies across Bristol have had to contend with the double whammy of rising inflation and fuel costs along with customers with less disposable income in their pockets to spend on treats. Still, even on a grey January morning, Lucy manages to retain a positive outlook.
“It’s been exciting,” she said, adding: “There are obviously worries because of the current [financial] climate, so there is a bit of nervousness, but I'm hoping that because we’ve got a good team, work really well together and we’re both a bit more known in Bristol now that will bring people in.
“There are a lot of cafes on Whiteladies Road, but that brings a lot of people to the area, and there is enough room for everyone. And those little treats, like getting a coffee, are really important when you can’t afford much or things are tough. I think everyone needs something to make their day a bit brighter.”
Stepping in from a torrential downpour, the cafe is instantly welcoming and the coffee is hot, silky and smooth with a fruity finish. While the space is still a work in progress and awaiting some more signage, the clean rows of benches and tables with verdant plants create an understated and cosy feel. A reclaimed wood display counter showcases Anna’s stunning cakes like precious artworks in a gallery, while vintage crockery collected by Lucy adds a homey touch.
Eventually, Lucy hopes to offer sandwiches and other snacks, but currently, it’s mainly coffee and cake with an array of regular changing bakes in flavours such as olive oil banana cake with balsamic blueberry compote and peanut buttercream or lemon and lemon cake with lemon curd and vanilla bean buttercream. Those with more restricted diets are well taken care of, too, with oat milk available at no extra charge and gluten-free offerings, including apple tea and raspberry blondies with chamomile and passionflower and double chocolate mint chip and raspberry cookie sandwiches.
“Wherever possible, we try and source products locally and use independent suppliers to support other small businesses,” explained Lucy. This extends to the coffee beans supplied by Triple Co Roast, based in Montpelier, who Lucy has also been working with since she began and who provided her first coffee machine as well as top-up barista training.
Before the coffee van, she was a studio photographer in Bristol for seven years and, more recently, a digital retoucher in Berlin, but she had prior experience in the hospitality industry, working in cafes and restaurants as a student. Doing increasingly desk-based work, Lucy said she missed the daily interaction of chatting with customers.
“I kind of always had part of me that knew I wanted to have a cafe one day,” said Lucy. “I was planning to come back [to Bristol from Berlin] anyway, I went there for a year to see how things went, but then the pandemic pushed it along faster.”
Initially, the cafe will be open 8.30am-4pm from Tuesday-Friday and then 9am-4pm on Saturdays, but Lucy says they’re still figuring out what will work best, including Sunday opening hours. On alternate Sundays, the truck can be found at the Tobacco Factory market, and there are also plans to bring the van back to Cotham Gardens in the spring.
With such a successful trajectory, we asked if this might be the first of other locations. “I want to be in it as much as possible; me being here is important to me, so I don’t see myself with loads of cafes in the future," said Lucy, "But this is a really nice starting point, and I’m just going to watch how it grows and see where it leads.”
While she says having a permanent location ready to open to the public is “quite a surreal feeling”, Lucy’s hoping to bring some of the same relaxed atmospheres of the leafy park to bustling Whiteladies Road. She said, “I absolutely love the van. Being in the park, there was a real sense of community with it.
“Seeing the same people and getting to know them was so nice. People actually made friends there. We did yoga sessions there in the summer, which we might do here if we can make the space work, and it really bought people together, and they started hanging out and getting coffee together.
“We’ve got really good cakes, really nice coffee, and hopefully just a nice warm, welcoming space. Even with the van, I just wanted to make a really friendly, welcoming, happy space so that people can feel comfortable and feel a bit of a part of it.”
Roam Wild Coffee x 404 Bakes can be found at 91A Whiteladies Road, open Monday 8.30 am-4pm Tuesday-Friday and 9am-4pm on Saturdays, Sunday - opening soon
Read More:
- New coffee shop on Whiteladies Road is dream come true for owner
- New vegan restaurant Pastan to open in Bristol
-
Michelin Guide 2023 reveals all the Bristol restaurants on the esteemed list
New supermarket opens in Emersons Green selling Asian products and bubble tea
- The Clifton pub with the oldest pub theatre outside of London
