Jennie Lawson from Inverurie has met many famous faces throughout her life.
Kylie Minogue, Grace Jones and Boy George are just a few of the popstars she’s welcomed aboard whilst working with British Airways for 15 years.
She’s flown to all corners of the globe, but after living out of her suitcase for so long, a change was needed.
Now, she’s switched from planes to trains and is the proud co-owner of Cocoworks coffee house at Inverurie railway station, along with her husband, George.
Aside from its delicious home bakes, bagels, paninis, teas, coffees, hot chocolates and much more, happiness is etched into the ethos at Cocoworks.
Not a day goes by without laughs and smiles from Jennie and her team, and it’s easy to see why her award-winning business is the top-rated coffee shop in Inverurie on TripAdvisor.
“We work hard, but we like to have a laugh as well,” says Jennie.
“I know it sounds a bit cliché, but it definitely is great to meet all the different people that pop in.
“If you’re not a people person, you couldn’t do this job.”
First class cabin crew
Jennie grew up in Inverurie through her school years before finding her first job in airline cabin crew.
She worked with Dan-Air at Aberdeen airport on flights to Shetland and Orkney before moving onto long-haul flights with British Airways.
“I’ve been everywhere – all over the world. And I’ve met a lot of interesting people,” says Jennie.
“I was lucky because I was a senior junior, which meant that I worked up in first class all the time.
“I did the job for around 15 years then once I met George, I wanted to settle down.
“I’ve always been working with people though, so I thought a coffee shop would be the perfect next step.”
New chapter
With an abundance of coffee shops already dotting Inverurie’s town centre, Jennie had to think outside the box to offer something different.
Luckily, Jennie’s husband pointed out the potential of moving into vacant space at Inverurie’s railway station, which has ties with aristocracy.
“The venue we’re in now actually used to be Lord Kintore’s waiting room,” says Jennie.
“He got caught short one day and didn’t have a penny for the toilets.
“So, they decided that they would give him his own personal toilet and waiting room, which is what we’ve converted.”
Being a listed building, transforming the space into a coffee shop came with its challenges.
However, after a few years, Cocoworks opened for its first day of service back in 2012, which Jennie admits was a nerve-wracking day.
“I can’t remember a lot of it because we were so nervous!” she laughs.
The coffee shop later received a railway heritage award in 2014 – its name an ode to a nearby locomotive works which operated from 1903 to 1968.
Since then, lockdown has given Cocoworks obstacles to overcome, but it’s continued to go from strength to strength.
“It’s definitely not been an easy couple of years, but we’ve got really good regular customers,” says Jennie.
“With the regulars, we know their names and they know ours, so it makes it really couthy.
“We get a lot of commuters being in the station. Saturdays are usually really busy with people going on day trips.
“There’s a lot of customers from Aberdeen and further afield who enjoy coming here too.”
Christmas specials
With the coffee house interior all glammed up for Christmas, so too is Cocoworks’ food and drink offerings.
Jennie’s mum may be 83-years-old, but she is Cocoworks’ star baker, regularly preparing sponges, rockcakes and all kinds of traditional bakes for customers to indulge in.
New drinks like gingerbread lattees and volcanic chocolate orange hot chocolates are getting Cocoworks into the Christmas spirit and Jennie says that their new specials are “flying out the shop.”
“We started recently with our turkey, brie and cranberry and orange port relish paninis – they’re a bit fancy,” says Jennie.
“I would think our specials are probably the most popular. We do around six different speciality bagels, paninis, toasties and things.
“We’ve currently got a posh bagel, which comes with with smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber.
“I also do traybakes, daily scones and mincemeat pies, which are really popular.
“Everything is all locally sourced and homemade.”
Mumbai chai tea is also another customer favourite, in keeping with Cocoworks’ railway roots.
Smiles all round
Collaborations with other local businesses in Inverurie including The Green Grocer, JG Ross bakers and Fly Cup – a charity that works with adults with learning disabilities – have made the venue an integral part of the community.
A quick scroll down Cocoworks social media page shows that it’s this welcoming, community focussed vibe that Jennie prides most about her business.
“It’s exactly what we aim for – to make it welcoming and somewhere that you’d want to be” says Jennie.
We have a reputation for being friendly. There’s nothing worse than going in a coffee shop where people don’t smile or say hello as you walk in.
“The girls I’ve got as my staff are really, really nice.
“We have tables to seat around 20 people inside, it’s all lovely, cosy and Christmassy just now with the decorations.”
With plans to expand into an extra vacant room within the railway premises, Jennie is looking forward to the opportunities the year ahead may hold.
For now though, Cocoworks is continuing its busy festive period and building on its mountain of positive feedback and reviews.
“To hear all the positive feedback and reviews is amazing,” says Jennie.
“Even if you’re having a bit of bad day, it makes all the difference.”
A round of questions with Jennie Lawson of Cocoworks…
Most underrated drink?
Mumbai railway chai.
If you were a drink, what would you be and why?
A prosecco – I like to think I’ve got a bubbly personality.
What’s in your drinks cabinet at home?
Prosecco, gins, port and red wine. Plenty of choices!
Most unusual drink you’ve ever tried?
I think probably when I tried bubble tea in London. I didn’t know what it was, but there’s a lot more places offering it Aberdeen now.
Worst experience with a drink?
There’s no way you can print that!
Any secret tips of the food and drink trade?
I think going the extra mile for customers.
Best food and drink pairing?
Baked camembert with hams, different cheeses and a red wine. That’s probably my favourite.
If you were stuck on a desert island, what three drinks would be there with you?
Prosecco, tea and a red wine as well.
You have to serve your favourite superhero or celebrity a drink. Who is it and what do you serve them?
I think it would have to be Michael Ball. I’d serve him a champagne with brandy.
