The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Retro van concept aims to raise bar
A thelittle bit of urban “cool” will be taking to the roads of Scotland once pandemic is over. Austen Morley is preparing to launch his pop-up espresso and cocktail bar, via Slainte Mhath Events, which will be available to hire for weddings and events. The bar is housed in an iconic, fully restored 1971 Citroen HY van.
Austen, who is in his early 20s, has been part of the movement of young people starting new businesses with the support of the Rural Youth Project – an initiative which aims to empower young people living in rural areas.
Austen left home, as many young people do, to study and then travel. His journeying took him to Australia and to London, yet he always had a yearning to come back to the calm of his rural home in Forglen, near Turriff.
“I grew up on a farm and smallholding with my dad (James) who is a farmer and haulier, my mum and my sister,” said Austen.
“Something about living rurally felt right. During university and travelling, I realised that the hustle and bustle was nice, but good to get back out of.”
Austen and his father sourced the van from a farm in Holland. It has since been completely stripped down and fully modernised with a new engine and chassis.
“I’ve achieved what I wanted – a premium, slick look with a whole retro aesthetic going on,” said Austen.
“Hopefully we can draw some attention because it is looking so good.”
He has an Aberdeenshire Traders’ Licence and plans to offer his bar service once the pandemic eases.
“We’ll be fully selfcontained with a generator and a box trailer to transport the van to the hire location, so hopefully we can hit remote places in the countryside, and also bigger, more extravagant events as well,” said Austen.