When Kirkcaldy man Paul Armour decided to launch his new coffee firm, he needed to find somewhere to work from.
Rather than find a shop for his new venture Ecobean, Paul came up with a more unusual idea.
He decided he would invest in a horse box.
After making the purchase in the summer of 2018, several months went into carrying out renovations.
That included fitting a roaster and espresso machine.
With more than two decades’ experience in the coffee trade, Paul wanted Ecobean to be about more than just wholesale of coffee.
He wanted to cut down on the coffee waste that currently is sent to landfill sites across the UK.
Currently over 500,000 tonnes of used coffee grinds are sent to landfill sites.
He said: “We strive to bring environmentally friendly coffee solutions to the forefront of consumers’ minds.
“That’s why we use eco-roast technology – a carbon neutral, zero waste process that harnesses the energy of waste coffee grounds that would normally have been sent to landfill.
“The technology uses this energy to power the eco-roaster, producing one of the most environmentally friendly coffees in the world.”
After launching in the converted horse box, Paul took the business out to customers on Kirkcaldy’s promenade.
He can still be seen at weekend farmers and artisan markets throughout Fife.
Opening Ecobean store during pandemic
Then, last July Paul took the plunge to move into premises in Kirkcaldy.
Moving in to the St Clair Street store coincided with a boom in coffee during lockdown, with the business thriving.
He said: “We were able to open for a couple of months before we had to close.
“We had a lot of requests, so I started doing home deliveries locally. That kept me going until I was able to re-open again.
“The retail part of the business during lockdown was very vibrant. Everyone wanted coffee.”
Paul offers a number of coffee collections, with one taking inspiration from the islands of the Firth of Forth.
He said: “I was designing different blends of coffee that could be used in the espresso machine.
“I was right over the water at Inchcolm, so I named the five blends after islands in the Forth.”
Ecobean reducing coffee waste
In keeping with the environmentally friendly element of the business, Paul has also created eco-tubs, which he supplies to each of Ecobean’s wholesale clients.
They collect waste which is then recycled locally.
He said: “I’m all about trying to be eco-friendly.
“Coffee waste at the moment goes into landfill which can cause all types of issues.
“When we supply to wholesalers, we supply the beans in an eco-tub which is totally recycleable and reusable.
“I give the coffee to the clients in one tub and also another empty eco-tub.
“All their coffee waste goes into that.
“I then take away the tub full of coffee waste and I am working with the equality centre in Kinghorn Loch.
“They’re recycling that waste for fertilisers on allotments. It’s a total zero waste solution.”
Little over a year on from opening his shop, Paul said business remains good.
“The wholesale side of the business has really taken off,” he said.