The Nibsy’s trailer, by now a familiar site for commuters outside Reading train station, first opened on August 5 in 2025 near the back of the Blade office building.

As the Chronicle reported previously, things got off to a bit of a bumpy start, with the trailer – affectionately dubbed ‘Beryl’ – suffering an overnight break-in that forced it to pack up for several weeks to undergo repairs.

Owner Naomi Lowe, however, was undeterred, and as soon as Beryl was back in action Nibsy’s opened again near the Forbury Gardens Carluccio’s restaurant.

When the trailer’s current spot by the train station was finally available, Nibsy’s moved again, opening on December 1 and hoping to benefit from the heavy commuter footfall.

Nibys’s, the gluten-free coffee trailer outside Reading train station (Image: Nibsy’s)

The trailer marks a return to hospitality for Naomi, now aged 42, who previously established a gluten-free cafe on Cross Street before taking a step back to spend more time with her family (the cafe’s new owners renamed it ‘Yaylo’, and it remains gluten-free today).

Even with Naomi’s previous experience, running a trailer brought its own challenges.

Naomi explained they had “really high expectations” when Nibys’s first moved to the train station, but the damp December weather threw a spanner in the works, with many commuters hurrying past without stopping as they tried to escape the rain and cold.

“It felt like two months of solid rain, and I’m not going to lie, by January my cash flow was so dire because we did not yet have enough regular customers,” Naomi told the Chronicle.

“The first two months were really, really tough and I actually did wonder whether we had made the right decision.”

Once spring rolled around, the team’s hard work and persistence started to pay off.

Nibsy’s “got into more of a groove”, Naomi said, building up a base of regular customers, some of whom would even wait in the mornings for the trailer to open so they could order before catching their trains.

Now, the mother-of-two said, the business “is absolutely heading in the right direction”.

“We’re really really happy with how things are going, we’re really grateful.”

Nibys’s, the gluten-free coffee trailer outside Reading train station (Image: Nibsy’s)

Noami, who has lived in Reading for 20 years, starts her mornings at 4.30am so she has time to freshly bake all of the trailer’s gluten-free offerings, load them into her car, and get them to the trailer for opening time.

The trailer has been getting positive feedback, Naomi said, with their most popular items, like sausage rolls and ‘cheese balls’, sometimes selling out completely.

Nibys’s, the gluten-free coffee trailer outside Reading train station (Image: Nibsy’s)

Nibys’s, the gluten-free coffee trailer outside Reading train station (Image: Nibsy’s)

Naomi said they get “a lot of regular coffee drinkers who bit by bit are starting to try the food”, but who don’t really mind whether it is gluten-free or not.

But then some people, who are gluten-intolerant or on general gluten-free diets, “are really grateful that we are there”.

“That’s what my passion is, kind of putting the spontaneity back into the lives of people who do have allergies,” the 42-year-old said.

She praised her staff as “fantastic” and said she is optimistic that Nibys’s is now better prepared for the winter ahead.

“I could not really tell you where we will be in a year, but I really hope we are still there…

“I don’t have any grand plans other than continuing to do what we do, and do it really well.”