At 20-years-old Fifer Guy Wade invested £10k into his venture, Screaming Peacock, to have a go at running his own street food business.
Feeling dissatisfied with solely studying his Business Management degree at Northumbria University in Newcastle, Guy decided he wanted to do something more proactive with his time.
Using his learnings, after his first year at university Guy started to build his brand which specialises in selling burgers and hot dogs made only from wild game.
Six years later, the 26-year-old, who was raised in Lindores, has now built his dream business into a successful venture.
Working alongside his family Screaming Peacock now has six units including two trailers and two gazebos and employs a team of five full-time staff and 25 part-time.
With a permanent residency at Cairnie Fruit Farm in Cupar, the remaining five units are used for corporate events, weddings, and festival pop-ups, some of which recently include the Royal Highland Show and The Open in St Andrews.
Screaming peacock: An idea in the making from a young age
Guy was only 16 when he was first inspired to one day have his own street food truck or van.
He said: “I stopped at my first burger van when I was 16 and I thought it was genius having kitchen in a layby.
“When I was at university, we were being taught a lot of theory but no one was doing anything with it.
“I questioned that philosophy of just studying and thought, let’s give it a shot.”
Family business
After pitching the idea to his family, Guy’s father, Steven, took an interest and suggested they use the meat from their other food business, Woodmill Game, encouraging him to sell burgers and sausages made from their game.
Guy’s mother was also on hand to lend a hand and give him some advice. With around 30 years of experience in the industry, she not only influenced the branding, she also came up with the name which was influenced by a book.
Completing the family affair is Guy’s sister Sophie who helps with the design of the brand and runs the marketing and social media.
And when he isn’t away acting, older brother Edward also helps him with selling products and managing the business.
What’s on offer?
The street food van at Cupar is open every Saturday and Sunday from 10:30am to 3pm. It offers a range of burgers and fries which range from £4 to £6.
Customers can also bag a burger and chips for £10.
For those heading down to get a bit to eat they can except everything from wild venison burgers, pheasant burgers, double fried rosemary fries and loaded fries with sticky fried onions.
The street food van also recently added a hot dog menu where customers can now get their hands on loaded venison hot dogs, Bulgarian sausages, or a vegan hot dog for alternative diets.
While their food truck remains busy during the weekends, Guy and his team have a busy end of summer lined-up.
Screaming Peacock are due to appear at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as well as other events throughout the rest of the year. They have also opened their books for weddings and celebrations, and Guy is certain the business will pick up additional bookings as a result.
Looking to the future the 26-year-old has his hopes set high. He dreams of being able to open a takeaway restaurant in St Andrews or Edinburgh where he can sell the family’s Wild Game produce from a permanent venue.
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