Philippa Leach

Philippa Leach was born in Scotland to a French mother and an English father, but grew up mainly in the UK: it was around the family table in Avignon, during her holiday visits, that she learned French. Now living in Lorgues, in the Var, she says she is more comfortable in English but lives and communicates in French day to day — a bilingualism that is naturally part of who she is, just like her love of travel across Europe, with every trip teaching her something about languages, cultures and communication.

Her career hasn't followed a straight line, and that's precisely what makes it rich. She first worked for several years in the equestrian world — racing, breeding, shows — before moving into administration at a recruitment agency, then IT support at Fujitsu and Xerox for five years. She went on to hold a deputy manager position at a rural post office, managed and maintained holiday homes, volunteered for eight years tutoring English from primary school through to BTS level, taught at a specialist school for children with learning and behavioural needs, and then worked as a contract English teacher. Alongside all these experiences, she spent twenty-five years raising her two children — a role she sums up herself with humour and precision: head chef, driver, personal assistant, accountant, mediator, sometimes psychologist or diplomat. It's in this variety of jobs, often restarted from the bottom of the ladder, that she draws pride in having always managed to build a career, despite never undertaking any tertiary education.

The winter of 2024–2025 marked a turning point: a ruptured aneurysm, followed two days later by a stroke, led to three weeks in intensive care and then seven weeks in a rehabilitation centre. This ordeal changed her profoundly — she says so plainly: she is no longer quite the same person she was before. This period of recovery also became a time of reflection, out of which grew, for the first time, a business idea that truly fit who she is.

Surrounded by friends drinking whatever they liked, her only choice was between cans of sugary drinks.

The spark came from an ordinary evening: surrounded by friends drinking whatever they liked, her only choice was between cans of sugary drinks. She thought of her daughter, who has not drunk alcohol for two years, of her pregnant friends, of the designated driver at every party — all the people who are never offered an alternative that matches what they actually want. From this realisation, Bar Non was born: a mobile bar housed in a Citroën HY, designed to travel to night markets and events across the south of France, serving alcohol-free cocktails and mocktails already tested at gatherings with friends and their families.

The project is driven by values Philippa has always held dear: honesty, integrity, empathy, positivity, and real attention to people with fewer privileges or less of a voice — a commitment reflected in her support of Pride, Greenpeace and Amnesty International. Cooking and hosting are, she says, her true love language; her passion for sport — football, with Sheffield Wednesday FC, Olympique de Marseille and England, or rugby, with Bath RFC, RCT and England — reflects the same love of togetherness and sharing that drives her project.

Philippa moves forward with clear eyes: she knows the main risk is that her offer might not find its audience, and she treats that as a question her project will have to answer on the ground, event by event. She draws on what each of her past jobs has taught her — working with the public, a sense of organisation, integrity, and a genuine lack of fear of physical work. Her five-year vision is clear: seeing Bar Non established in several towns across the south of France as a franchise, while keeping her own place in the trucks, in direct contact with her customers, continuing to introduce people to new drinks.

For her future customers — pregnant women, designated drivers, non-drinkers, but also anyone who's simply curious — Philippa Leach offers something simple and rare: to finally be thought of, not just tolerated, at a social event. With her, choosing not to drink alcohol is no longer something to put up with, but an experience in its own right.