Bernie & the Big Shots
A Charming old Frenchman
After unintentionally starting the 2nd French Revolution of 1969, Bernie decided to lay low, and live a humble life as a farm hand in Southern France. Almost 50 years on, we found him rusting away in the fields; cold, malnourished, and in dire need of some TLC. With those adorable beaming headlights and corrugations that just won’t quit, we knew at that very moment, he was the one for us.
So we filled out the adoption papers, gave him a good scrub down and put him on a boat to Australia! We are so happy to announce the newest member of our family, Big Bernie, arrived on 21/4/18 at 7:30am. Weighing in at 1.72 tonnes.
We spent a good few months inside of Bernie, converting his empty body into a unique café and bar fit out, complete with a La San Marco coffee machine, Mazzer Grinder, fridge, display drawer, sinks, cabinetry, timber benches and a fold out bar.
Since arriving in Australia, Bernie has learnt how to drive on the left hand side of the road, can now speak broken English, has featured in car shows, been invited to weddings and has even appeared at many major events such as the Royal Melbourne Show, the Melbourne Cup, and the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Bernie has been loving life as an Australian citizen, and can't wait to serve up a storm at your next event!
Two guys, one truck
The idea of Big Shot began at the tail end of a long stint in the corporate world, where over a beer battered lunch we both came to realise that this kind of work was a never ending race, a high stress environment with little time to ourselves. No matter how far we progressed we knew we would never be truly happy.
We decided then to regain control of our lives; to maintain a healthy work/life balance, to really enjoy our jobs, to be engaged socially, and to make a positive, measurable impact on the environment and on others. The idea for our own coffee business emerged from our previous experience in hospitality, so we both chose to make the biggest move of our corporate careers - and leave them.
Melbourne is renowned for its café culture, which includes more than just a well-made coffee – it is an experience unique to every corner café, coffee merchant, or hole in the wall. This culture has inspired us to jump in and contribute to this growing and innovative scene by creating our own distinctive experience – but on wheels.
Our intention for Big Shot is to bring this unique Melbourne café experience to you, and this is why we have chosen the classic 1969 Citroën HY van as our mobile caffeine dispensary. Apart from the striking aesthetic, this van is low, spacious and allows us to remain engaged in conversation and facing our customers while we're preparing their drinks.
In addition to our Café offering, we have also designed Bernie to be flexible enough to operate as a Private Bar. We've always loved the idea of one day owning a bar, and saw no reason why we couldn't combine both of these passions into one business! Good Coffees, Good Cocktails, Good Times!
We worked hard to get Big Shot off the ground, and we can't wait to be involved at your next event!
Chris & Mike
