AN INSPIRING coffee and psychology enthusiast living in Penarth has shared how he traded a safe day job at the start of lockdown to take his message of community to the people of the town.

Founder of Stol Coffee – a travelling coffee and cookie service – Piotr Skoczylas, originally from just outside Krakow in Poland, arrived in Penarth three years ago off the back of seven years in the hospitality industry – including a long spell working in London under celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

A deep-thinker and disciple of emotional intelligence – he says his experiences in the industry taught him a great deal about people.

“I learned so much because it was a great chance to speak to people – which I love,” he said.

It is his love for people that made the father-of-two throw the towel in on his day job serving coffee near Penarth Train Station to take his message – and coffee – to the road.

“When the pandemic worsened and lockdown started in March I was told we had a social responsibility at the coffee shop to not encourage people to be together physically around the shop, which I get – but I felt I had to do more.

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“I decided if I couldn’t encourage people to be together outside the shop, I should try and take the coffee and cookies to them.”

He downsized everything; the coffee machine had to go – substituted for a box attached to a bike. And a local resident kindly offered her garage for six months.

“I’d like to think it’s a very simple thing done right. I brew coffee from the garage every day, and I bake the cookies at home.

“I knew it was a risk – I have two kids now [his daughter was born in July] – but I would rather call it a leap of faith.”

It’s a message that encapsulates Mr Skoczylas’s approach to life – energetic, kind, and no regrets.

“Naomi [partner] has been so supportive when I know some people wouldn’t have been. She is going to leave her job to look after our children, and I’m now relying on this to pay the bills.

“Okay, it’s stressful. But I believe if you know why you do things, it doesn’t matter how stressful it is – because you’ll find a way.

“My ‘why’ is meeting people every day and establishing relationships – whether that’s a half an hour chat with James [a friend he met serving coffee who now meets him weekly], or a 20-second chat with a mother on the way to pick up her kids, my ‘why’ is to leave a person a little better than when I found them.

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“It makes me happy. I feel better because I connect with people much better now than I did before.”

Mr Skoczylas has brought other people in the community together too.

On Sunday [December 6] – three days after he was approached by music teacher and harpist Martha Powell – he teamed up with the musician at Alexandra Park to bring ‘Harp in the Park’ to residents. The performance was attended by 70 people, and raised money for Ms Powell – struggling with the impact of Covid on the music industry.

“It wasn’t a lot of money, but it’s not about that – that’s just the start,” he said. “For me it’s about showing that when we think outside the box we can make a huge difference.”

Thinking outside the box is a mantra he is now committed to for the long haul – and he thanks the pandemic for helping him to realise that.

“Every trader you speak to in Penarth and maybe Wales will tell you now they have to think in a different way, because the world is changing so quickly.

“Those businesses who don’t jump out of the comfort zone will suffer – and those that do take that leap, I think, have the potential to build something that can last generations.”

In the long-term he wants to help set up a community space in Penarth run by independent traders where residents can sit without feeling pressured to purchase anything.

“I think if we do something for community, the community will respond by helping us. This isn’t really about me and my bike – it’s about community, which I feel is the only way out of where we have found ourselves as a society.”

Asked what he means by that, he added: “Globalisation has badly impacted our towns, but we can change that by changing what happens in our own back garden.”

During the stop-start lockdowns this year, Mr Skoczylas was able to continue operating, and he said he felt he had a social responsibility – this time – to bring people together in a different way.

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“It was an amazing time, because people started sending me to their friends’ addresses. I had so many messages asking: ‘Can I send a friend a coffee and a cookie? They are at home alone and isolating and they need some joy.’

“I cycled to these places and every single time I got a chill down my back – that’s why I did it.

“I lost money doing it – because it was more time consuming than staying in one busier place and serving coffee and cookies – but I felt I had a duty with what I was able to do.”

During our 30-minute chat a few people stop by to greet him.

“I love it because it means I have an impact on people here. I called my idea ‘Stol’ because it means 'table' in Polish – like a metaphorical round table where we can meet up and really get to know each other.”

Meaningful conversations is at the heart of everything he refers to during the interview.

“We don’t do that anymore. Why? We talk about the weather, football…coronavirus. But you can’t get to know someone by talking to them about those things – not properly.

“I understand people are busy and might not have time to chat, but when we have a minute I think it’s important to take that time, look someone in the eye, and make them know you are listening to them. It’s not easy.

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“That’s how, I believe, we can get over coronavirus – and maybe deal with other big problems we are facing as a society. By allowing ourselves to have healthy conversations and finding the commonalities and differences between us.

“If that means in 100 years’ time we’re going to tackle global warming, then that’s great. Communities like ours have the power to develop a new blueprint for that.”

On Christmas Day – as Mr Skoczylas does every Sunday – there will be a special edition of ‘Together is Better’ – a casual event where people can gather [socially-distanced] at Alexandra Park between 9am and 12pm.

“The most valuable thing I can to give people is my time. So on Christmas Day I’ll go there with my bike and coffee, and people can buy if they like – but really it’s about having meaningful conversations. I think that’s so important – probably this year more than ever.”

  • Mr Skoczylas is currently looking for a new base. A six-month deal on the garage he is currently brewing from comes to an end in February. He is now looking for a modest space where he can continue to realise his goal of bringing the community together in Penarth. If you feel you can help, please call Mr Skoczylas on 07477114009.