As the co-founder and CEO of Caravan, an all-day dining and craft coffee concept, I’ve had the privilege of building a business that reflects our passion for innovation, quality, and creating spaces where everyone feels welcome. Together, with my fellow New Zealanders, Chris Ammermann and Miles Kirby, we’ve experienced amazing growth, including our best-ever year of trading, B Corp accreditation, and our first venture outside London.
Growing a business in today’s climate presents more challenges than ever. Constant cost pressures, shifting consumer habits, and the need for ongoing innovation require entrepreneurs to be resilient, creative, and adaptable. Thankfully, we’ve always loved a challenge.
Caravan was born in 2010, but the idea started brewing long before that. Back in New Zealand, my co-founders Chris Ammermann, Miles Kirby and I worked together in a busy restaurant and bar and always dreamt of doing our own thing. When we landed in London in 2001 — right after the 9/11 attacks, which made for a strange and uncertain time — we saw a huge opportunity. Craft coffee and all-day dining were basically non-existent here. We saw an opening to introduce a fresh, flexible approach to all-day dining, while also celebrating the origins of coffee and the artistry behind its preparation.
After 10 years in UK hospitality, we finally opened our first all-day restaurant, bar, and coffee roastery in Exmouth Market. It was a time of change — London was emerging from a recession, eager for new experiences. Luckily, our timing was good. Specialty coffee and flexible dining were fresh ideas, and we set out to make food and coffee more accessible and engaging. With a roaster in the basement, we encouraged customers to interact with baristas and learn about top-grade coffee.
Alongside craft coffee, we introduced a relaxed New Zealand approach to all-day dining. We pioneered small plates, encouraging sharing and exploration of the menu. We kept fresh and constantly innovated, incorporating healthy grains and locally sourced ingredients to create ‘well-travelled’ inspired dishes. At the time, brunch was still an emerging thing in the UK, and our bold flavoured, fresh brunch options, paired with our house-roasted coffee, ensured busy weekends from the outset.
Inclusivity was always central to Caravan. We wanted to create spaces where everyone felt welcome, whether for a casual coffee, a brunch with friends, or an espresso martini or pizza in the afternoon. Those early days were exciting; it was a great time to be in the restaurant and coffee industry.
Of course, the journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Running a business is a rollercoaster, and the post-pandemic world has made things even more complex — rising costs, staffing issues, market unpredictability and consumer sentiment. Sometimes, it feels like some of the fun has been drained, and that’s hard because so many of us are in this industry for the joy it brings.
While I fully support raising the National Minimum Wage, the speed at which it’s been implemented has been tough to absorb amid all the other pressures. Add lack of business rates concessions, and other forms of industry specific relief, and it’s clear that hospitality hasn’t received the support it should have.
Yet, despite the difficulties, we’ve managed to find resilience and joy in what we do. We’re still passionate about the industry and the future, and Caravan continues to grow. Opening our first site outside London, in Manchester, has reinvigorated our love for innovation. Manchester has allowed us to reimagine our brand, from new cocktail creations to fresh designs. Our site includes a coffee roastery, and we’ve introduced a new Studio Brew in homage to the nearby Granada Studios.
This is our largest site to date, with two all-day dining rooms, a private dining space and a massive outdoor terrace launching in 2025.
The craft coffee side of our business remains incredibly exciting. We’ve embraced a multi-channel approach, producing coffee to enjoy at home and through partnerships with cafés, restaurants, bakeries, co-working spaces and pubs. We handle everything — machinery, training, support, and of course, the coffee. Caravan coffee is also now available in premium retail spaces like Selfridges, Waitrose, Ocado and Whole Foods, alongside many other retail spaces.
Our commitment to sustainability runs through everything we do. From food and coffee sourcing to producer relationships, we are thoughtful about the partnerships we form.
This spring, after three long years, we earned our B Corp certification — a process more complicated than we anticipated, but worth it. It’s a marker of our commitment to doing better, and it validates the practices we’ve had from the beginning. For instance, we’ve always championed vegetables and reclaimed materials in our restaurant builds and, unlike businesses that use off-setting to meet targets, we believe in looking at what you do within your own four walls first.
Ultimately, Caravan is a people focused business, and hospitality is all about people. I love the team we’ve built, and I’m proud that we nurture talent from within.
Last year, 84% of our team members were promoted internally, surpassing our 80% target. We’ve always believed in the teams bringing their authentic self to work. We don’t have team uniforms at Caravan, and diversity is something we measure carefully. We’re committed to bringing more women of diverse backgrounds into leadership roles and today, our board proudly features more female directors than male, which is rare for hospitality businesses. Across our restaurant and coffee business, 57 nationalities are represented.
After what has been our best year yet, we are looking to take the next step in our journey. We’re looking at investment opportunities to continue to grow the business beyond London, and although fundraising can be a challenge, we’re excited about the opportunities ahead, partnering with the right people to unlock Caravan’s full potential.
If there’s one piece of advice I’d give to any business owner, it would be: bring in the right people. As founders, we want to do it all, but we’re not always the best at everything. Define your role, stick to it and hire talented people to do the rest. It’ll make the journey smoother and faster.
Finally, stay positive. Keep the momentum going. This industry thrives on optimism, joy, and passion. If we lose sight of that, we lose sight of why we’re here in the first place. Let’s go!
