Leeds man draws huge crowds to travelling coffee van after family business closed down

Benji Baker, 45, joined his family's clothing retailer when he was just 17, but was left without a job when it closed down before the pandemic.

After a stint working as a restaurant manager for Italian restaurant Culto, he developed a love of coffee and began to develop plans to launch his own food business.

He decided to purchase a mobile coffee van to bring a taste of Italy to Leeds.

Mister Coffee serves Italian coffee, hot pies, fresh sandwiches and brownies from Blond and Brown, as well as 12 different types of thick hot chocolate.

Benji travels around industrial parks in Colton, Thorpe Park and Garforth, as well as catering for large-scale events and private parties.

It's been an instant hit with customers.

He recently catered to a crowd of more than 600 people at an Alwoodley Bonfire Night event, where people flocked to try his goods.

Benji told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “I did a huge leaflet drop and contacted business a couple of days before the launch - and then I just went for it.

“Now I’ve got hundreds of customers in the space of three weeks. People love it, everything is fresh every day, they love the Italian cannolis and coffees and the Italian music playing out the van.

“We’ve got our own Italian, thick hot chocolate - we’ve had so many compliments with it, it’s unbelievable.”

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