A pair of friends in Molesey have quit their jobs to follow their dream: opening a colourful coffee trailer.
Best friends Sophie Sparkes, 25, and Lily-Rose Meaton, 23, have been planning to start the business together since they met five years ago.
Sophie, a former account manager at a charity, said: “It’s terrifying to go from an organised job with a salary.”
She swapped the ‘mentally draining’ morning commute to Bank for 5am starts in the park with former café manager Lily, who said: “We’ve been wanting to do this for years.
“Eventually we said: ‘take the risk, just do it!’”
Sol n’ Shine opened its shutters in Hurst Park this week, where they hope to attract walkers and runners with fresh barista coffee.
The pair spent five months converting the trailer – a former horse-box bought on Facebook Marketplace – in evenings and weekends, balancing the project with their full-time day jobs.
Lily’s parents and brothers all pitched in to help get the trailer up and running. She said: “Rainproofing it was especially testing.
“Now we look at it and we’re really proud.”
Self-described ‘chatterboxes’, they look forward to engaging with the community.
Sophie said: “Coffee is so popular – with less and less people drinking (alcohol), it’s now a social thing.”
To prepare for starting their business, they attended a coffee convention and eventually chose to use locally roasted coffee beans from Maidenhead.
Sophie, who grew up in Molesey, said: “Financially, you have to be smart about it.”
The pair plan to be open seven days a week until they find which hours work best – although they’re already a hit with dogwalkers.
Esher local Tony Male, 64, walks his sheepdog in Hurst Park every lunchtime and stopped for an Americano at the new trailer.
He described the area as lovely, and told the girls they’d picked a good spot for customers as it’s free parking there.
The opening has so far benefitted from the sunny weather. Sophie said: “If it stays like this, Easter should be really good.”
You can find Sol n’ Shine at Hurst Park Carpark open from 7:30am daily.
Featured image credit: Louis Greaves
Join the discussion