TGt Meets...Paul Bailey, Owner of Really Awesome Coffee

Meet our latest TGt Meets...Paul Bailey, Owner of Really Awesome Coffee, a delicious mobile café based in Swindon.

Tell us a little bit about yourself…

having spent over 30 years in the hospitality industry, that was brought to an end due to COVID-19, with my position being made redundant, so I decided, that at my age it was time to step out on my own and Really Awesome Coffee ticks all my boxes and I can continue to use my customer service experience and my passion for great coffee!

What makes Really Awesome Coffee different to any other coffee shop?...

We come to you! Our coffee is our own roast, roasted in Coventry with Brazilian beans. We only use top quality products, such as 1883 syrups, back up with other great suppliers. We have an app, which, once you are registered, notifies you that I am on my way and when I arrive, in addition, it allows me to notify my customers of some of the exciting promotions that I have on, on any particular day.

Other than really awesome coffee what other products do you offer/serve?

Other than the Really Awesome Coffee, I have a selection of fruit and vegetable smoothies, a wide range of milkshakes (Mars Bar, Crunchie, white chocolate are specialities) along with Whey protein smoothies and a gluten free oat-based breakfast smoothie. I also have a range of ambient products, including Gluten free Millionaire’s slice, a wide range of crisps and chilled sandwiches and hot snacks, the chorizo sausage rolls being a particular favourite.

What makes your coffees really awesome?

The coffee is roasted in the UK in Coventry using Brazilian beans and every morning, I measure the grind gram throw and the extraction rate, to ensure that the exact flavour profile is delivered, ensuring the consistency of the product that my customers receive.

Tell us a little bit about your mobile coffee van…

The van is a converted Mercedes Vito, that has a unique power system, that allows me to trade without using generators, which means silent running, using a combination of solar and LPG. I have a large water tank on board, along with a grey water tank. It also has a retractable sun or rain canopy, depending on the weather! It always seems to attract a great deal of attention, wherever I go!

How do your barista training courses work?

Before I opened, I spent a full week in Coventry, learning all the necessary skills from the franchise team, whom have a wealth of knowledge on the product and the van. It is very intensive and comprehensive with ongoing support thereafter, and I have a Franchise Development Manager, who is on hand whenever I need him and who visits on a monthly basis.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Hopefully there won’t be much, but I enjoy camping, walking and mountain biking, and of course coffee!

How would you describe Swindon in 3 words?

Diverse, friendly and welcoming.

Anything else you’d like to share/mention? 

As I only started this business up at the beginning of March, the people I have met and served coffee to have been really supportive and loyal, so a big thank you to them. It is really great to see them every day and everybody is pleased to see the van when I arrive!

Find out more about Really Awesome Coffee HERE!