Owner and operator of He Brew Espresso Shay Hamo lives and breathes coffee.

“My life is coffee,” he laughs.

Since 2016, Mr Hamo has been selling coffee in the Maida Vale area – starting in a trailer at the Reserve, before now opening his own café on Maida Vale Road.

“The feeling that I had, moving from the trailer to here, was happy, stressed, scared, amazed, and it’s a dream come true,” he said.

“One week on and I’m still processing it.”

But the road to the café wasn’t easy.

In 2021, a motorcycle accident left Mr Hamo with a broken collarbone, forcing him into a long recovery period and away from his beloved trailer.

He said the accident had left him with limited movement in his shoulder for the rest of his life.

“Not working in the trailer was devasting.

“I had PTSD, I had depression, I had anxiety from the accident, and the more I went through physio I realised I wasn’t going to be able do the trailer,” he said.

The last 18 months have seen Mr Hamo in and out of the physio as well as going through countless operations.

“I just had another operation three months ago, I’m still going to the physio, I’m only allowed to work two days a week,” he said, adding that when he’s not at his new café the new staff will be looking after it, making sure they run it to his high standards.

“I’m still on a return-to-work program. I can’t lift anything far – for now, it’s going to get better,” he said with a smile.

Mr Hamo said while the accident had put him a dark place, with the help of the doctors and the community he’s doing much better.

While he was recovering, the support he received from the community was outstanding – people were dropping off food, chocolates, meals and even offering to help him financially.

“It just makes me feel at home. The support of the community – I’m talking about it and I’m getting chills – the support from the community has been and is amazing,” he stresses.

Mr Hamo said if things go well, there could be a possibility of expansion outside of Maida Vale – but if that happens, another staff member will run it because he’s right at home in his new premise in Maida Vale.

“This is me here, this is my home.”