A new refreshment truck with a continental twist has taken up residence at Findhorn Beach from this week, providing walkers and visitors with a selection of hot and cold drinks, home bakes, and some treats with a French connection.
Brodie Robertson lives in Huntly, but grew up in France, and after returning to her native north-east, she has fulfilled her life-long ambition to have her own cafe, albeit a small one!
Un Petit Café is a reproduction Citroën van, and runs off rechargeable batteries and a little gas, making it not only quiet, but energy-efficient as well. Brodie has nicknamed the van ‘Belle’, which of course is French, but also the name of her favourite Disney character.
Dé jà vu?
Belle is remarkably similar to Olive, the Citroën van that occupied a similar spot last year, run by caterers Gill and Weller de Oliveira from the Olive Tree Kitchen.
Brodie said: “My family moved to France when I was six. Originally it was meant to be for a six month trial period, but we loved it so much we stayed for 12 years.
“I did all of my schooling over there, and worked as a production coordinator, organising all of the behind-the-scenes stuff for film sets. The last production I worked on was Franklin with Michael Douglas, a mini-series on Apple TV filmed in Paris.”
In France, un petit café is a small black coffee or espresso, and Brodie recalls the time she worked in a French café, when a man would come in every day to order ‘un petit café’ and always leave with an expression of joy. This is what inspired her to name her business.
“Opening up a cafe of my own was always on my to do list, so I took the plunge. I worked last year in a coffee shop here in Findhorn. My mum now lives here in the village, and I fell in love with the area.
“I heard the Olive Tree Kitchen had opened up their own bakery in Forres High Street, so I knew that this spot was going vacant, so I asked if I could take it.
“The Findhorn Village Conservation Company have been so lovely and they allowed me to have this pitch and helped me get started.”
Bon appétit!
As well as the regular hot drinks, Brodie will also serve white, dark, and Belgian hot chocolate, a selection of soft drinks and cans of French drinks like Orangina and Schweppes Agrumes inspired by her childhood days in France. Coffee is from local roasters Speyside Coffee Company.
“I’m trying to have a mix of Scottish and French cultures,” she added. “I have a wholesaler who supplies the French products that you can’t get in the UK.
“I also have some French snacks, Carambars and Haribo, which is something that I grew up with as well.”
Carambars are little sticks in three flavours, caramel, fruit or Coca Cola.
“So, it’s a little bit of extra effort to get them in, but I think it’s worth it to bring a bit of my culture home,” she added.
Brodie (and Belle) will be at the West Beach Car Park from 9:30am to 4pm on Tuesday to Saturday.
See our list of local refreshment carts here: https://visitforres.scot/foodcarts/
