The mere idea of running a café alongside a family member would send many people into hysterics, purely down to the complications that may come with it.
Brogan Ireland-Fair has been part of the team at Forres café Fika on a full-time basis for roughly three years now.
The 19-year-old is a barista and responsible for overseeing wholesale ordering and customer service.
“I enjoy interacting with customers, the responsibility I have within the café and having the opportunity to serve tasty coffee,” says the Forres local.
Fika is owned by Brogan’s mum Naomi and they run the Swedish-style vegetarian café as a two-strong unit.
Despite, as previously mentioned, this being unimaginable to some, he wouldn’t have the setup any other way.
Cracking coffee and cakes
Located on Tolbooth Street, the former owners opened Fika around a decade ago and Naomi took over the reins in 2019.
It serves a selection of home bakes and light lunches with gluten-free and vegan options available.
There is also an array of different coffees and teas to choose from. Suppliers include Cairngorm Coffee and Square Mile Coffee Roasters.
Expect cinnamon buns, brownies, tarts, muffins, scones, bagels, soups and more.
Brogan forms the drinks menu, while Naomi is in charge of all things food.
A mug-nificient relationship
In terms of the barista’s journey, Brogan previously worked as a kitchen porter at a local Indian restaurant ahead of joining Fika.
He said: “This was my first experience of working in a hospitality environment.
“When the original owners (one of which was Swedish) started Fika, I used to come in with my parents and we always enjoyed the feel of the café.
“When my mum took it over she decided to keep it homey just how they had it.
“I have been working here for almost three years now. When I left school I decided to help her [Naomi] out and use some of the skills carried forward from my previous job.”
Brogan revealed they “don’t have the best communication with each other”. However, there are far more pros than there are cons to working together.
“We sometimes end up making a drink or lunch item that nobody even asked for,” he went on to say. “But we get on well.
“The pair of us are great at bouncing ideas off of each other and keeping one another motivated at our busiest of times.”
Moray coffee scene
On the topic of the coffee scene in Moray, Brogan believes “it has room to expand.”
Fellow cafes in the region include Tomintoul’s Bike Glenlivit Cafe, Kula Coffee Hut and Willow & Birch – both based in Elgin – and fellow Forres business The Bike Bothy.
“It can become something bigger than it already is, especially with the amount of new cafes and coffee shops taking the speciality route,” he added.
“Going forward, I want to provide everyone with a really tasty cup of coffee and help expand the coffee scene not just in Moray but this whole part of Scotland.
“The coffee community in the north and north-east is incredible and really supportive, so an in person event in the future would be an exciting idea!”
His advice to anyone looking to join the industry is to not be afraid to ask questions.
“You are always learning new skills and as cliché as it sounds, hard work really does pay off. Put 100% into everything you do.”
Brogan went on to say: “I would just like to say a massive thank you to my mum who has given me the great opportunity to work in the café.
“And also a huge thanks to my fiancée, who is a perfect coffee taster and is always so honest when things don’t taste quite right.”
Naomi added: “It has been positive for Brogan. He has managed to find his craft and become more confident and creative.”
Fika is open from 9am to 3pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 2pm on Saturdays.
Conversation