How the south Wales valleys fell in love with food and drink trucks
From speciality coffee and wood-fired pizza to handcrafted matcha, a new generation of mobile traders is bringing quality food, drinks, community spirit and local pride to the valleys.
Hello and welcome to The Valleys Lead.
Ready for feel-good story? Us too. This week, we’re introducing you to three mobile food and drink vendors in the south Wales valleys. We think you’ll love them.
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The Valleys Briefing
(A little round-up of some stories in brief from our valleys. Anytime you have something you’d like to share, no matter how big or small, email laurencrosbymedlicott@gmail.com):
Firefighters have been battling more wildfires in the south Wales valleys over the weekend and the start of the week. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the significant scale of the fire near Ferndale, noting that the steep terrain has made efforts to bring it under control particularly challenging. There are reports of “deliberate fire setting" on the mountain where the fire spread. Please follow along at South Wales Fire and Rescue Service for prevention and safety advice.
In Merthyr Tydfil, funding has been secured for major transformation of Joseph Parry’s Ironworker’s Cottage. The funding will help safeguard the future of the Grade II Listed Accredited Museum while creating new opportunities to share the stories of celebrated composer, Joseph Parry, Merthyr Tydfil’s ironworking heritage and the communities who helped shape the town during the Industrial Revolution. The project will future-proof the historic building through essential conservation works, improved environmental controls, energy-efficient heating and lighting, enhanced security, and refreshed exhibition spaces. Visitors can also look forward to improved accessibility, new bilingual interpretation, digital experiences, and the reopening of the Cottage's historic garden as a learning and wellbeing space. To allow the work to take place, the Cottage will be closed to the public from 1 August 2026 and is expected to reopen in April 2027.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has secured Welsh Government funding for maintenance works at a former tip site in the Cynon Valley, Cwmaman Tip. The scheme is being delivered through Welsh Government's Coal Tip Safety Grant, which has allocated £13.7m to the Council to continue inspections and maintenance, and deliver a programme of works, across former coal tip sites in Rhondda Cynon Taf in 2026/2027. Work will include the removal of vegetation growing within and alongside the tip’s drainage infrastructure to restore access, improve the performance of the on-site drainage and assist with the ongoing monitoring and maintenance in the future. A key element of works is delivering biodiversity improvements through the management of vegetation across the site.
How the south Wales valleys fell in love with food and drink trucks
On a weekday morning, at a football pitch carpark in Penydarren, you’ll often find a queue of people lined up and waiting for their morning flat white and almond croissant. Later in the week, families grab a fresh, wood-fired pizza with all the trimmings from an Aberdare roundabout, and at a market stall nearby, customers watch as their Macha is whisked to perfection.
These scenes are becoming increasingly familiar across the south Wales valleys, where a growing number of independent mobile food and drink businesses are thriving. Their owners say they’re responding not only to changing shopping habits and the high cost of running traditional premises, but also to something less tangible: a desire for connection, community and local pride.
Matthew Hunt and Alicia Smith, both in their early 20s, spend over 12 hours-a-day, five-days-a-week running Cuple Coffee. “We have always wanted to open something specialty coffee related as we developed a love and self-learning for speciality coffee,” Alicia told The Valleys Lead. “There was a lack of offering of specialty coffee in the area, and we would always have to travel to Cardiff or further areas to visit good specialty shops.”
The couple originally planned to open a brick-and-mortar shop, but there were barriers that led them to instead consider a mobile shop. “We were unsure on the demand for specialty coffee in the area so when the first idea of a shop fell through we realised maybe a mobile catering van would work better.” Less funds were required to start-up, there were no building fees or rent, and they wouldn’t have to navigate the uncertainty of footfall in the town centre during the weekdays.
They were adamant – the van had to be based in the south Wales valleys, with Matthew from Merthyr Tydfil and Alicia from Abercarn.
After first approaching Merthyr Council about pitch fees and licensing, the couple ended up trading on private property – the Penydarren Boys and Girls Club. “Matthew plays football for them,” Alicia said. “This made life easier as there was access to a car park for our customers and we were able to put an electric supply in for our van instead of relying on a generator. This is important as we chose a high spec machine that is usually in coffee shops.”
Since opening just a little over a year ago, Alicia said customers keep coming back for their speciality coffee and freshly baked goods – made from scratch by Matthew and Alicia – because they are conveniently accessible. But it’s more than just convenience.
“We provide an individual and personal feel with each customer meaning something to us compared to chains,” she said. “We find that people stay and hang around the van to chat with us, or even other customers, creating a good community atmosphere. There is a combination of coming for quality drink and good conversation where people have told us they don’t experience in other hospitable establishments.”
Joe Galea, 32, of Crazy Joes’s Pizza Truck wanted to bring wood-fired pizza to people in the south Wales valleys but didn’t want them to have to travel to a restaurant to get one. It’s about bringing the food to people rather than expecting people to come to the food, Joe, born and bred in Merthyr Tydfil, told The Valleys Lead.
“I think the valleys sometimes get overlooked, but the people here are incredibly loyal,” Joe said. “If you support the local community, they’ll support you back. There are brilliant people and brilliant communities here, and I wanted to build the business where I grew up.”
Joe said he thinks people are eating out at food trucks more for two main reasons: people like supporting local businesses and costs are lower due to fewer overheads. “Social media has also changed things massively. People can see where we’re trading that evening, head down with family or friends and turn it into part of their evening.”
But having the van hasn’t been without challenges. “Every council has different rules, licences and processes, so expanding into new areas can take a lot of time,” he said.
“Finding suitable pitches isn’t always straightforward either, and pitch fees can also vary hugely. Some are very reasonable, while others can make it difficult for independent traders, especially if the event doesn’t attract the numbers expected. I think a more consistent approach across different councils would make life much easier for small businesses.”
Business “is going well,” Joe said, although it has taken “huge amounts of hard work, long days, and plenty of sacrifices.” But it’s all worth it when Joe sees people queuing up for pizza, getting to know each regular customer by name.
“Sometimes people stop for a pizza and end up chatting for ten minutes,” he said.
“Other times they’ll come over just to say hello. I think that’s one of the nicest parts of running a mobile food business. You genuinely become part of the community.”
His love of the south Wales valleys has only grown since starting Crazy Joe’s.
“The valleys have faced plenty of challenges over the years, but there’s a real resilience about people,” he said. “There’s also a lot of ambition. There are people building businesses, creating jobs and doing everything they can to improve their communities. If someone stood next to our truck for a day, they’d quickly realise the valleys are full of hardworking, genuine people who care about where they live.”
Jade Facey remembers the day she found matcha after years of trying to enjoy coffee.
“My life changed,” the 35-year-old owner of TheMatchaMam told The Valleys Lead. “I made it my mission to try and test every matcha in Merthyr, rating them depending on their tastes, flavours and overall appearance. This then sparked my idea of opening my own stall due to the high demand for good matcha within Merthyr - something that was hard to come by.”
Already a small business owner, Jade was “fully aware” of rental prices, extortionate business rates, and forever increasing bills.
“I know a few local businesses in Merthyr that have recently closed due to the sheer cost of running a shop within Merthyr town centre,” she said. “I know the market has all of the intention of bringing new people to the town however the town centre doesn’t have the same footfall as many years ago.”
It made total sense to operate a mobile stall travelling to events and markets across the south Wales valleys.
Only operating for the last two months, Jade said TheMatchaMam has been well-received, with customers appreciating “the love and care that goes into making each drink.”
While Jade loves operating at Artisan markets, she equally loves hyper-local community events - she’s recently attended running clubs and breathwork evenings in the valleys.
Every matcha made, Jade spends time getting to know the customer ordering, saying she hopes they note the community, love, determination, and perseverance of her venture. “Every small business owner I know will say the same,” she concluded. “They continue to do what they do not because of the profit but because they genuinely love it.”