Ollie, 26, on opening his Jamaican coffee truck in Dundee

Ollie Lambert launched Blue Palm Coffee, his own coffee truck, in Dundee last month, serving up luxury Jamaican coffee.

And there was no better place for Ollie to start Blue Palm Coffee than Dundee.

“That’s the thing I love about being here in Dundee,” says Ollie.

“It gets such a bad rap sometimes. It’s a big town, but there’s a really good sense of community here.

“I’ve made all my best friends here.

“I wanted to bring this thing that I’m really passionate about to the place where I love living.”

Blue Palm Coffee was inspired by a visit Ollie had to Jamaica.

His mum and step-dad moved over for work in 2022, and when Ollie visited, he fell in love with the coffee scene.

“Me and my mum are best mates,” says Ollie. “So when she moved to the other side of the world, it was really tough.

“And there, we sat and drank this amazing coffee, and we really bonded over it.”

‘Every part of your being is just wondering if anyone is going to come’

Before Ollie opened up his mobile coffee unit outside the Vision building, Ollie had plenty of those first day nerves.

“I think every part of your being is just wondering if anyone is going to come,” he says.

“I was so nervous.

“You have that anxiety, but then you see people smiling when they have your coffee.

“And you finally feel relaxed.”

Ollie got over his nerves, thanks to the support of his friends and family.

“My opening day has to be my favourite so far,” he says.

“Everything was built towards that.

“Friends and family came down, and everyone at the offices here was intrigued.

“There was a bit of chaos because you always think you’ve got everything in order but of course some things slip your mind.

“Some of my friends even took time off work to come to see me.

“So you just feel that love from everyone, and it completely shot my confidence up as well.”

Blue Palm Coffee Ollie is ‘proud’

Ollie, who studied English and creative writing at Dundee University, didn’t expect to end up working in the food and drink scene.

“But this just felt right for me,” he says.

“It’s certainly not what I had envisioned doing, but I’d gained all that valuable experience with years of working in cafes, restaurants and bars in university.”

People rarely assume that 26-year-old Ollie owns and runs Blue Palm Coffee.

“I think people just think that I’m working there,” he says.

“Then they’ll ask who owns this, and I’ll introduce myself.

“I have seen people do a double take at times.”

“My favourite thing is owning my own business,” Ollie says.

“I love the fact that it’s mine.

“I mean, as challenging as it is, and it’s never out of your head the whole time, that’s also what you love about it.”

Blue Palm Coffee serves blue mountain coffee, which is brewed with coffee beans all the way from Kingston, Jamaica.

Ollie explains: “Because of the altitude, you get a lower acidity, which leads to a really smooth coffee.

“It’s what everyone loves about Italian coffee without that dark chocolate bitterness.”

They also serve a range of bakes and sweet treats from Temptations Bakery in Cupar.

“Overall, it just makes me feel proud that I’ve worked hard on this,” adds Ollie.

“It makes me feel a lot of confidence going forward.

“I’m only here, and I’m 26. But down the line, I want a whole fleet of these things eventually.

“Who knows where we’ll be years from now?”