At first glance, it’s a simple set-up. A coffee van by the ferry terminal, early morning steam rising into the sea air, commuters grabbing a cup before the day begins. But spend five minutes with Chris Delin from The Daily Grind Coffee Van, and you realise this isn’t just about coffee, it’s about people, purpose, and a community quietly pulling together.

Chris, 48, hasn’t taken the straightforward route to get here. Originally from France, he moved to the UK 25 years ago, driven by a genuine fascination with British culture, language and history. “I just wanted to experience life on this side of the Channel,” he says. “I didn’t have a big plan, just curiosity and a willingness to work hard.”

His early years were rooted in hospitality. He trained in catering in France, then cut his teeth working long hours in a student bar before moving to London, where he spent nearly two decades building a career. From barista roles at Café Nero to managing pubs for Greene King in Canary Wharf, he worked his way up in a demanding industry.

“I achieved what I wanted in hospitality,” he explains. “But I was ready for something different as you get to a point where you ask yourself, is this it, or is there something more I could be doing?”

What followed was a series of pivots that many will recognise, chasing stability, testing new industries, and navigating the realities of recessions and redundancies. Chris retrained as a mortgage adviser, passed his exams with merit, and worked with HSBC’s premier clients in Canary Wharf. But the high-pressure, sales-driven environment never quite fit.

“I’m a people person,” he says plainly. “I like talking to customers. I don’t like that kind of pressure. It stopped being about helping people and became about targets, and that never sat right with me.”

After further roles in finance and IT, and another redundancy during the pandemic, life forced a pause. Then came a turning point: the loss of his grandmother, and with it, a small inheritance.

Instead of playing it safe, Chris made a decision that many talk about, but few follow through on.

“I thought – why not do something for myself where I didn’t have to rely on a big company. It felt like now or never. I didn’t want to look back and regret not trying.”

Drawn to the coast and his love of sailing, he and his wife relocated to Gosport. What came next was no small undertaking: buying a van and converting it into a fully functioning coffee business, despite, in his own words, being “absolutely useless at DIY.”

That’s where the first signs of what this business would become started to show. Local Gosport tradespeople like The Van Junkies stepped in to help bring the van to life. Suppliers supported him with equipment. The council granted him a pitch by the ferry terminal. Piece by piece, it came together. “I couldn’t have done it on my own,” Chris says. “Local companies really stepped up to help me convert the van, and that stayed with me.”

By September 2025, he was open.

And the community responded.

“I’ve been very lucky,” Chris says. “People here have really supported me. You start recognising faces, learning names, remembering orders, and that’s when it becomes more than just a transaction.”

But Chris hasn’t relied on luck alone. He understands the reality of running a small business in a cost-of-living crisis. “You can’t just open the doors and wait for customers to arrive,” he says. “People are struggling, so you have to think differently. If you don’t adapt, you don’t survive, it’s as simple as that.”

That thinking led to what might be his most powerful idea yet: the community partnership programme.

“It’s simple, but effective. Local businesses sponsor batches of coffee. 20, 50, 100 cups say, and I give them away to customers. A free coffee on a tough Monday goes a long way,” he says. “Honestly, it’s a small gesture that can genuinely lift someone’s day.”

Chris explains that one early example saw Gosport Ferry sponsor 100 coffees for Blue Monday, often dubbed the most difficult day of the year. Since then, independent hairdressers, florists and other small businesses have followed suit.

“It’s a way for them to promote themselves without giving money to big corporations,” Chris explains. “And customers benefit too. It keeps money and support within Gosport, and that’s exactly where it should stay.”

So far, more than 330 coffees have been given away through the scheme in the last four months, and it’s evolving into something even more meaningful as customers have even started paying it forward themselves.

“One man gave me £10 and said, ‘use this for someone who needs it.’ I shared it on Facebook and then others started doing the same. Now, if someone is struggling, short on cash, or just having a bad day, they can come to the van and get a free coffee, no questions asked. That’s what it’s about,” Chris says. “Not just profit. It’s about the community we’re serving. No one should feel embarrassed to ask for a pay-it-forward coffee; that’s really important to me.”

Chris is putting that into action in other ways too. A week-long fundraiser for Sophie’s Legacy charity is next on the cards, with customers able to donate via the card machine, and Gosport Ferry matching every pound raised by Chris’ customers. “If we can raise a good amount and help even a little, then it’s worth it.”

It’s a far cry from the corporate environments he once worked in. And that’s exactly the point.

“These big companies don’t do this,” he says. “This is what small businesses can do.”

The hard reality? It’s not glamorous. Chris works seven days a week, starting at 5am to be ready for the 7am commuter rush. Bad weather can wipe out a day’s trade. Right now, he says he’s only just breaking even. “When it’s pouring with rain and no one stops, those are the tough days, but you just keep going.”

But ask him if it’s worth it, and there’s no hesitation.

“Every day,” he says. “Because in between the early starts and long hours are the moments that matter, the conversations with regulars, familiar faces, people choosing my van over big-name chains that are local, all because they know what they’re getting: quality, consistency, and a bit of human connection. And that human connection you don’t get that from a machine or a big chain.”

One customer recently told him Chris that he walks past all the big brands just to come to him because he serves the best coffee. “That comment made my day, as I know I am on the right track,” he says.

“I don’t want to offer a bland product. I want to make the best cappuccino, served with a smile and conversation…and people have responded to that.”

Looking ahead, Chris isn’t chasing rapid expansion or scale. Right now, it’s about building awareness, strengthening what he’s started, and continuing to embed himself in the community he clearly cares deeply about.

“I love Gosport,” he says. “I just want people to know I’m here.”

And that’s where the rest of us come in.

Because businesses like this don’t survive on goodwill alone. They need regulars. They need word of mouth. They need a community that actively chooses to support them. Chris is growing that community right now.

So next time you’re heading for the ferry, or passing through Gosport, take a moment. Walk up to the van. Say hello.

You’ll get a great coffee.

And you’ll be backing something that genuinely matters.

You can follow Chris and The Daily Grind Coffee Van on Facebook and Instagram