Our story
Believe it or not, Wild Highlands Coffee Ltd has been with us for some time now.
At the end of 2026, it will have been 7 years since the idea came to life!
Like all start-ups and small businesses, The Wild Highlands Coffee story is a long one, with many highs and lows. How we got to this point is sometimes a mystery or maybe it's just grit, determination and a tonne of naivety.
Where it started: meet Heather
For those of you who have been with us from the beginning, our paths would have crossed, either personally, virtually, over a telephone call, or through one of our many handwritten notes...and you'll know me as 'Heather'.
Growing up in Anglesey, North Wales I was afforded the luxury of having beaches and hills on my doorstep. Unlimited access to this space, grew into a love of mountain biking, hill running, adventure racing and finally dabbling in some ultra running.
And just for fun, I keep bees.
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My corporate job brought me to Scotland in 2014 and 3 years later, I said my Goodbyes to Wales and moved to Loch Lomond.
Any guesses on location?
Now the thing about endurance sports, is you have a LOT of thinking time. And somewhere on a training run between Milgavie and Rowardennan, (or the first leg of the West Highland Way), I noticed a severe lack of outdoor retail outlets and decent coffee!
By the time I'd leaped down the steep side of Conic Hill, my fantastical plan had been created. We needed decent coffee and more importantly, we needed decent coffee at events!
A local roaster was found and pulling on their years of skill and expertise, we came up with a coffee roast that felt aligned, not only to amazing tasting coffee, but also to the ethos and ethics of what Wild Highlands Coffee should represent.
And by the end of 2019, the first batch of Wild Highlands Coffee beans poured out of an antiquated hand-roasting coffee roaster.
So we have the great tasting coffee, now we needed the events.
COVID and online growth
By early 2020, a visit to the annual Running and Cycle Show at Glasgow's SEC, and a weekend of networking with Race Directors, had secured a full calendar of bookings.
And by March of the same year, the arrival of 'COVID' meant the swift departure of all the bookings we'd worked so hard to secure.
As one door closes, another door opens and since people weren't drinking coffee in coffee shops, they were looking for good quality coffee at home.
I have no idea how, but Time Out found our speciality coffee and before we knew it, bags and bags of our lovingly fresh roasted coffee were heading to various London homes.
As they say.....the rest is history, our online presence meant that Wild Highlands Coffee didn't make it to any endurance events, but our ethos is still firmly grounded in that our coffee comes with the love of the outdoors, great taste and a coffee that's ethically grown and made.
Our coffee philosophy
Our incredible journey has gifted us to some very loyal and wonderful customers. And although we didn't make it to the events, we're now very blessed to be able to operate two outdoor coffee outlets around the shores of Loch Lomond.
Of course Wild Highlands Coffee could never exist if running the show was left solely to me; I tried and it didn't really work out! So I'm super grateful to have the best team anyone could wish to work with at our Loch Lomond coffee shop.
What's important to me, is equally important to the team.
We want to make sure your Wild Highlands Coffee is not only fabulous, but you also feel cared for, if not loved! If you'd like to join us on our coffee journey, make sure you subscribe to our email newsletter below. See you soon!
