Fellwater Coffee starts serving coffee and cake in Carlisle

Fellwater Coffee, which is currently situated at the Kingmoor Nature Reserve car park in Carlisle, serves hot drinks with a focus on sustainability.

Owen Clarke, who started the company, serves his customers from an electric van.

Everything inside the van runs on power that is provided by solar panel and wind turbine-supplemented batteries - apart from the boiler, which uses gas.

Owen said he hopes his business can provide an inspiration for others.

Fellwater Coffee serves a variety of cakes - provided by The Good Sister in Carlisle - to go alongside its selection of hot drinks

“I’ve always wanted to do something like this,” said Owen.

“But, I have young kids and it has never felt like the right time.

“Last year was incredibly difficult for everyone and that gave me the push to get on and do something about it.

“There are coffee vans throughout the Lakes, but I wanted mine to stand out a bit.”

The coffee, which is provided by Rinaldo’s Speciality Coffee & Tea Ltd in Kendal, compliments the cakes that are also on offer – sourced from The Good Sister on Cecil Street, Carlisle.

Owen also keeps plastic to a minimum on board the van – using milk from glass bottles from Benson’s Esk Dairy in Longtown.

He added: “The push on climate change has to be at the forefront for anyone who is starting up or already running a business.

“I could have done this van a lot cheaper, but I wanted to do it in a way that serves a purpose and tells a story.

“If I can do this as a little business on my own, then anyone can do it.

“It’s not the cheapest way to go and it’s not the easiest way to go, but I’ve got two young children and for me it’s setting an example for them. We need to set things up for the next generation.

Owen serves coffee provided by Rinaldo's Speciality Coffee & Tea in Kendal

“We can still have luxuries and we don’t have to cut everything out to be sustainable. I’m a coffee van in a car park that sells cakes and coffees, but we can do that in a way that doesn’t have an impact on the local environment.”

Owen is currently serving from the Kingmoor Nature Reserve car park on weekdays from 8am to 2pm.

Talking about the moment he decided to make the move and start his own business, Owen said: “I worked for a big company and you’re always under somebody else, you do as your told and you turn up to work. You do the same thing and then you go home again.

“There’s no satisfaction in that, whereas now I keep standing back and I can’t believe that I have managed it.”

You can find out more about Fellwater Coffee and see what Owen is getting up to by following the Fellwater Coffee Facebook page.

Alternatively, you can follow Fellwater Coffee on Instagram.