Growing up, my partner Ness and I spent a lot of time travelling around the world. Not together, of course. Well, not at first at least! Much later, we lived together in Spain. The culture and community of coffee shops and the social nature of the street became a big part of our lives there.
When we got back to Scotland, searching for something to focus on, it seemed only natural to put our time and energy into the café lifestyle we’d become so fond of contributing to. Now we could be the baristas.
After a thorough investigation to see what was possible, we came across Hebridean gold — an old building for sale on the Isle of Seil, 20 minutes from Oban. Over a humpback bridge across the Atlantic and down a road beside the sea brought us to what would be our future: a roastery of heritage and quality, destined to be Hinba.
Taking its name from the old Gaelic name for the island, in ba, ‘isle in the sea’, our new company would pair the Hebridean values of family and community with the culinary influences of the cultures we’d visited over our many years of exploring.
When we opened our Oban café, styled like an industrial bothy, we served stroopwafel from Holland, where I was born, and empanada pastries from Argentina, where I lived for a while. Our brunches had Spanish flavours like Chorizo and after dark, the café would transform into an authentic Spanish gin bar, complete with wild garnishes and oversized goblets, except we served only Scottish gins.
Once our Oban location was roaring with life, it was time to take the sea to the city. We looked into every option, St. Andrews, Edinburgh, Aberdeen… but it was Glasgow that always felt right — the best fit for us. And the west end specifically was where we identified with most. Getting everywhere by foot, friendly and open people, on bikes, or out and about socialising on the street. Either in parks and beer gardens when the weather’s good or tucked up against the cold with brunch and coffee mornings. The atmosphere matched our ambitions.
So, Patrick became our second home. But instead of the Oban shop’s rustic decoration, inner-city Hinba opted for the west end aesthetic of pastel colours, minimalistic furnishings and exotic horticulture.
The Glasgow coffee community gave us a very warm welcome, with every local coffee shop showing support and encouragement. Talking roasts with other baristas, advising regular customers on potentially new favourite flavours, or training everyone who works with us to give off friendly island vibes, we get great satisfaction from starting a conversation and getting to know everyone in our own unique community. I’m proud to say we even know the names of every regular’s dog!
Much like in Oban, we’re soon giving our Partick branch a new lease of evening life and keep it open for cocktails once it’s too late for caffeine. In Palma, most of the coffee bars turn into bars at night – hopefully we can start a trend in Glasgow.
