Six Years in the Making: The Story of Coffees & Cars
Just before the world came to a standstill in March 2020, we hosted our very first car meet.
At that point, Takona was still in its early days. Like a lot of what has shaped this brand, it started with conversations, ideas thrown around over coffee, and a simple feeling that there had to be something more we could build around cars and community.
Fuel Coffee House became one of those places where those ideas took shape. After many afternoons spent there thinking about what Takona could become, one thing kept rising to the surface: we wanted to create spaces where people could come together through a shared passion, and where that shared passion might lead to something more meaningful. Not just a line-up of nice cars in a car park, but genuine opportunities for connection.
So, in true Takona fashion, it became a case of, “let’s have a go and see how we get on.”
With the help of the brilliant team at Fuel, we hosted our first meet in their car park and called it Coffees & Cars. Yes, it is grammatically incorrect. No, we are not changing it. If anything, that slightly wonky name has become part of what makes it ours.
Then, almost as soon as it began, the world paused.
The meet that started it all
That first event landed right before lockdown changed everything. Like so many plans in 2020, momentum was suddenly replaced by uncertainty. But even though the timing could not have been more challenging, the idea itself had already taken root.
We had seen enough to know there was something in it. People wanted places to gather. They wanted a relaxed environment. They wanted an excuse to get out, bring their cars, grab a coffee, and have a chat. Most importantly, they wanted to feel part of something.
That mattered to us then, and it matters even more now.
Restarting with purpose
In 2021, we brought the Coffees & Cars idea back properly, this time at Squisita in Sawbridgeworth. That was the real beginning of the network as people know it today. What started as one event with a simple ambition began to evolve into something much bigger.
Month by month, meet by meet, it grew.
Cars were always the common ground, but they were never the whole story. The real value was in what happened around them. Conversations between strangers. New friendships formed over bonnets and brew cups. Familiar faces returning each month. People arriving for the cars and leaving with a stronger sense of belonging.
That is the part that means the most to us, because that is what Takona has always been about.
Why Coffees & Cars matters to Takona
Takona exists because we believe cars can be more than just machines. They can be conversation starters. They can bring people together. They can create environments where talking feels easier, more natural, and less forced.
For many people, a car meet is not just a social event. It is a reason to leave the house. It is a chance to clear your head. It is a way to reconnect with mates. It is somewhere you can stand beside your car, chat nonsense, talk life, and feel understood without needing to explain too much.
That is why we care so much about building these spaces well.
At the heart of Takona is the belief that conversations around a shared interest can have real value. When people feel comfortable, when there is something familiar to focus on, when the pressure is off, talking comes more naturally. That is one of the reasons the automotive community can be such a powerful thing.
Coffees & Cars has become one of the clearest expressions of that idea.
Back where it began, six years later
Six years to the day after that very first event, we returned to Fuel, now at their new venue, Fuel Road House near Gatwick, to relaunch a regular second Sunday meet together just as we had originally hoped.
That made the day feel bigger than just another meet in the diary.
It felt like a full-circle moment. A chance to reconnect with the place that helped spark the idea in the first place, while also looking ahead to where Coffees & Cars can go next. What began as a single meet with a hopeful mindset has now grown into a network spanning multiple locations around the country.
That is not something we take lightly.
From one car park to five locations
Today, Coffees & Cars exists across five locations around the UK, giving more people the chance to be part of what we are building. Every venue has its own character, every crowd brings something different, and every event adds another chapter to the story.
What stays the same is the reason behind it.
These meets are spaces for people to come together, share a passion, and most importantly, get chatting. Whether someone turns up in a show car, a daily driver, a project that barely made it, or simply comes along for the atmosphere, they are part of it. That openness is important to us. It is what makes the meets feel welcoming, and it is what gives the community its strength.
The cars may get people through the door, but the conversations are what keep the whole thing moving.
Building community through car culture
There is a lot said these days about community, but real community is built over time. It is built through consistency. Through familiar faces. Through small moments that add up. Through making people feel like there is somewhere they belong.
That is what we have tried to do with Coffees & Cars from the start.
Not every conversation at a meet has to be profound. Sometimes it is just about what wheels you are running, where you found that rare part, or whether the coffee was worth the drive. But those small interactions matter. They are often the beginning of something. A friendship, a collaboration, a support network, or simply a better day than the one someone was having before they arrived.
For us, that is the real success of Coffees & Cars.
Thank you for being part of the story
From that first meet in 2020, to the restart in 2021, to returning to Fuel six years later, this journey has been shaped by the people who have shown up, supported it, shared it, hosted it, and helped it grow.
To everyone who has joined us along the way so far, thank you.
Thank you to the venues who believed in the idea. Thank you to the people who came down to early meets when this was all still taking shape. Thank you to those who have travelled, supported, spread the word, and made Coffees & Cars what it is today.
We are immensely proud of what it has become, but even more proud of what it stands for.
This has never just been about cars. It has always been about people.
And six years in, we are only just getting started.
Join a Coffees & Cars meet
If you have never been to a Coffees & Cars meet before, this is your sign to come along. Whether you are bringing something rare, something noisy, something unfinished, or just yourself, you are welcome.
Come for the cars. Stay for the conversation.
Find your nearest Coffees & Cars meet