Horsebox Coffee Co. is an independent speciality coffee company in South Oxfordshire. It was founded in 2015 by Emily Stewart, who turned her family's vintage horsebox into a mobile coffee bar, and it has since grown into a roastery too.
How it started
The horsebox is a Rice model built in 1976. Emily's mum bought it from a dealer in Newbury, and for two decades it carried the family's horses, Joker, Solomon and Brightstar, to local shows and events.
Emily spent her early career in London, helping to set up a café chain and then working as a speciality barista and trainer. She also travelled to coffee-growing countries. When she moved back to Oxfordshire, the old horsebox seemed the perfect way to start a mobile coffee shop of her own, and in 2015, with the help of family and friends, Horsebox Coffee Co. was born.
People, planet and community
Sustainability runs through everything the team does, from sourcing to serving. They buy through trusted importers with long-term relationships with farmers, so the supply chain is honest and transparent, and they build direct relationships with growers wherever they can.
They roast on a Diedrich roaster, which uses infrared burners. Diedrich says its design cuts roasting emissions by up to 50%.
Horsebox and Dark Horse
Emily's roastery now sells its beans under the Dark Horse Roastery name, and the horsebox coffee bars still pop up at events and shows. The menu board below shows the kind of coffees you'll find, from espresso to cold brew and a Sidamo on filter.
Find out more on the Dark Horse Roastery website or follow Horsebox on Instagram.
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