A Co Antrim woman has told how she turned a “dilapidated” caravan bought online for £200 into a thriving coffee business now operating across Belfast.
Lisburn native Molly Simpson founded Coop Coffee Co during the pandemic, quickly gaining a loyal following thanks to its signature pink branding, speciality coffee from 3FE in Dublin, locally baked treats and even ‘puppuccinos’ for four-legged customers.
Speaking to The Irish News, Molly says she has always dreamed of owning her own business, but it wasn’t until she spotted an old caravan on Facebook Marketplace that the idea finally took shape.
“Everybody thought it was ridiculous that I wanted to turn it into a coffee van,” she recalls.
“One of my friends even said ‘Molly, it’s about to fall down, it’s only good for being something like a chicken coop’, which is where the name came from.”
What began as a short-term project soon flourished, fuelled by lockdown habits and the surge in people seeking coffee during daily walks.
“We thought it would only last three or four months, but it just took off.
“We were, and still are, completely overwhelmed by the support and that’s what has encouraged us to keep going.”
Since launching, Coop Coffee Co has grown into a small fleet with sites in Botanic, Wallace Park, Ormeau Park and Drumbeg, along with an events van. Across social media platforms the brand now boasts more than 15,000 followers.
Molly says the heart of the company lies in the “girl gang” behind it and in their commitment to creating a warm, friendly space where customers can enjoy “a coffee and the craic”.
“When we started the business it was all girls involved with it and we quickly realised we didn’t really need anybody else to help us do this,” she laughs.
“Everybody felt very comfortable together and it created a really lovely, natural atmosphere so it felt like it was just a big group of friends working together rather than colleagues.
“And we knew that warmth and friendliness was something we wanted our customers to feel when they come up to grab their coffee and I think so far it’s worked really well.
“We’re always up for a girly chat or a giggle with people. You should hear some of the conversations we have during the day, it’s hilarious.”
She adds that being a female-led company has naturally influenced Coop’s ethos, opening the door to collaborations with other women-run businesses and organisations.
“It was really important to us to support other women through Coop,” Molly explains.
“So we’ve linked up with a couple of different people like Katie Watson, who is an advocate for PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder), to do events and things like that.
“It just helps create the right kind of environment and attitude. I think that’s a big part of what sets Coop apart from other places. It feels like we’ve created our own little community.”
That focus on fostering community continues to shape Coop’s plans going forward, with Molly and her team now preparing to bring the brand’s signature warmth and energy to both Hillsborough and Carryduff Christmas Market as well as Lisburn’s renowned Christmas Light Trail.
“Doing the Christmas markets is such a different experience to our regular set up,” she says.
“It’s definitely a different area that we haven’t quite found our feet with yet but slowly but surely we’re getting there and we’re learning as we go.
“But I have to say having the events van, we call her Peggy, has been an absolute game changer.
“Getting to travel to all these different festive spots has been amazing and definitely makes us feel more Christmassy. You should have seen us when we were trying to get all the Christmas decorations for the van, we went crazy,” she enthuses.
“We’ve really loved doing the markets so far because whenever you do one you get to meet some of the other traders and build up a relationship with them and everybody is so supportive and lovely. It’s a great way of making new friends and connections.”
However, beyond the markets and daily service, Molly is now setting her sights on 2026 with plans for new projects, improvements and “plenty of opportunities to grow”.
“There’s certainly a few things on our to do list for 2026,” she laughs.
“We definitely want to get the events van out more and get out to as many events as we possibly can.
“And we’re also planning to tidy up our site in Ormeau because it’s been vandalised a lot, so it hasn’t been looking up to our standard lately.
“So we’re going to completely revamp it and change it from a caravan to a shipping container in the hope that will help prevent that from happening in future while also giving us a bit more space.
“But other than that, our top priority is just to keep the staff that we have because they’re fabulous, get a few socials going and continue to spread the positivity and encourage people to take a break and enjoy a cup of coffee where they can.”
Coop Coffee Co will be at Hillsborough Christmas Market on December 12 and 13, Carryduff Christmas Market on December 17 and Lisburn’s Christmas Light Trail every weekend until December 21 for more information see @coopcoffee_co.
