A breath of 'Fresh' air: Long time friends purchase Aberlour café
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TWO friends from Dufftown have realised their long term dream by purchasing an Aberlour café.
Amy Pirie (31) and Nikki White (33), who have been friends for 15 years, purchased Fresh from previous owners Ronnie and June Noble.
The business had remained in Ronnie and June's hands for over a decade but the couple opted to sell after deciding to retire recently.
For Amy and Nikki, who picked up the keys to the business on Monday, the opportunity to buy the local favourite was too good to pass up on.
Amy said: "When I saw that Fresh was up for sale I jokingly said to Nikki that we should go half and half on it.
"Before I knew it Nikki had got in touch with the owners and we had a meeting with them the following Tuesday.
"It's really only been a matter of weeks so it's happened really fast.
"We literally just got the keys."
Amy and Nikki are something of a 'dream team' when it comes to hospitality. Amy has seven years of experience as a cook and Nikki has been in hospitality since the age of 17 - running numerous hotels over the years before setting up a book keeping business at the onset of the pandemic.
"We've got both sides of it well covered," Amy said.
"Really it was a bit of a no brainer and it's something that we've always wanted to do.
"Not necessarily together but that's a big bonus.
"It would have been stupid not to try it so it's a really exciting time for us."
Until recently, Amy had been working as a café assistant at The Coffee Pot in Dufftown where she worked alongside Chloe Campbell (19) who recently bought the business herself.
Amy said: "Chloe was my boss. I had actually been interested in buying the business as well but Chloe beat me to it.
"In the end, Aberlour is perfect for us. I live in the village and Nikki lives in Marypark so it's more convenient for us.
"I don't need to travel anymore because everything is on my doorstep. It just suits us brilliantly."
The pair insist they won't be shaking things up too much when they officially open on April 2 but have promised a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
Amy added: "We're going to keep everything the same initially and then gradually put our own spin on things.
"We'll be doing specials throughout the day and I'll be putting on afternoon teas as well.
"It's exciting that's for sure. We're going to be our own bosses."
