Luke Moran travels miles every day because he knows Liverpool is the city who will back his business
Luke Moran from Caife Brea on Parker Street(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
A man wakes up at 4am just to make sure Liverpool has its caffeine fix. Luke Moran, 21, travels from Manchester to Liverpool every day and doesn’t return home until 9pm.
Luke’s family hails from Sligo in Ireland but moved to Manchester where they are medical professionals – his mum is a nurse and his grandfather is a doctor. The 21-year-old visited Liverpool a number of times socially and was familiar of life on the Mersey.
In the lead up to launching his own business, Luke worked in construction before moving to Ireland where he worked as a barista. As a fresh faced front of house team member, this is where his passion for coffee brewed.
Luke told the ECHO: “When I was [in Ireland], that’s where I fell in love with coffee. I worked at a few places and really enjoyed everything about my day to day life.”
After moving back to Manchester two years ago, Luke channeled his passion into creating a coffee shop he could call his own. Sadly, he faced a number of hurdles he struggled to overcome.
Luke Moran from Caife Brea on Parker Street(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
He added: “Ever since I was young I always loved coffee so this is why I initially wanted to open a shop. I didn’t realise just how difficult that would be. There’s so much you have to learn in the background that’s not coffee such as pulling strings to make sure you have the very basics set in place.
“I didn’t have any entrepreneurial experience so this was new to me. I knew I wanted to have my own coffee place but opening an entire shop was a lot of work. I thought a cart would make my life so much easier.”
Luke lifted his passion and stuck on four wheels to create Caife Breá – a charming coffee cart with permanent residency outside Liverpool’s St Johns Shopping Centre. The cart launched on Monday and Luke has already seen phenomenal interest from customers.
Luke Moran from Caife Brea on Parker Street(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
The name Caife Breá is derived from the Gaelic translation of ‘beautiful coffee’. He said: “I knew when I was planning everything I wanted a nod to my roots. That was important to me.”
The coffee cart is up and running, offering passer-by’s their on the go fix of energy. If you have the chance to stick around, Caife Breá also offers a variety of acai bowls, superblend smoothies, mushroom drinks, protein shakes and iced options.
Luke’s one-man-band efforts have created a charming business you won’t miss if you’re in the area. Unlike the coffee giants operating a stone’s throw away that run autonomously, Luke is up from the crack of dawn to ensure his venture becomes a success.
He said: “My mum drives past the train station in Manchester every morning to drop me off. That’s around 4am and I don’t get back until around 9pm at night. It’s extremely difficult but this is where I think the cart will thrive.
Luke Moran from Caife Brea on Parker Street(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
“Liverpool has a great connection with the Irish. I decided there’s no better placer to have me. I have to admit, I do prefer Liverpool over Manchester because the people are friendlier but this city felt like the natural place to be. I applied for Liverpool, I got the space and I love it.”
Luke hopes he can revisit his early dreams of a full ledged coffee shop within the next year. Until then, be sure to swing by St Johns and support one of the most dedicated baristas in the area.