Operate a Successful Mobile Coffee Business (Advice from Owners)

[@MatthewPaley-l7u]

I own an espresso trailer in Canada. We can only operate half the year. I move around a lot. Farmers' markets and events. It can be done. Many days are non-stop lineups and the biggest problem is customer wait time in the line (queue). While having a stable spot is nice for routine, you can do well chasing the crowds. Thanks Artisti, your channel has helped me a lot. Started last year, have become super busy and based a lot of my processes on what I learned from Artisti.

[@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters]

That's so great to hear your thoughts and experience of owning and operating a coffee trailer in Canada. Our GM just got back from a 3 week trip to Canada last week and he loved it. So happy that our content has also helped you out with your coffee business and you've learned a thing or two from us. Do you think you will operate the trailer long term or do you have dreams of opening a cafe?

[@MatthewPaley-l7u]

@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters Originally I was hoping to open a small coffee shop but have grown to love moving around and different atmospheres. The next step I'm striving for is a motorized bigger unit with 2 machines that can pump out drinks fast and sell snacks. This will be optimized for big events like rodeos and fairs. When there are no events, have a single employee/partner operating the day to day while I operate the original trailer. So essentially, start growing a mobile cafe empire! Next time somebody is in British Columbia come say hi!

[@mattbones1987]

I own a coffee van on the central coast of nsw. Got a dual fuel fracino in the back and it's great! I've never had a problem with the wind, but I DO find the gas burner turns off sometimes while I'm driving around. This vid made me feel lucky, I have a great spot, where I pay no rent, thats on a main road heading towards the freeway, so I get plenty of commuters heading down to Sydney. I work on average 4-5hrs a day, including cleaning and re stocking, which i do at home. I'm usually done by midday and have the rest of the day for myself. The only issue i have, is i can never go back to working a regular job, because I'm too used to the life style. If you're watching this video, and you're thinking about starting a business like this, as long as you think you have a good spot to set up, go for it. Best decision i ever made.

[@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters]

Love the positivity and sounds like you’ve nailed the spot and have a good thing going 👏🏼 like I said, it’s not for me but it works great for lots of people just like yourself. Nice work. What is it called and I’ll call in for a coffee next trip south? Jimmy ✌🏻

[@joewisniewski3849]

Very comprehensive video.I don’t think you missed anything. We bought a van that was built and featured in The TV series River Cottage Australia and is a well known van. The best thing is the show constantly has reruns on SBS so it is like having free advertising. We purchased it at a very good price and added to it the things we needed. For the coffee side of things I purchased Wega two group compact 15A machine which was in excellent condition for $600 and a grinder. We live in a Big4 Holiday Park and are fortunate enough to be able to operate in a beautiful lakefront location to cater for the holiday makers. For us it works well as we open only when people are in the park i.e holidays, long weekends, or whenever there are enough people to make it viable to open. We only open 7.30- 10.30 am and when we are busy I don’t look up for the 3 hours we open. At the other end of the van we do bacon and egg rolls, hash browns etc and we also have a popcake pancake machine for pancakes. My biggest issue was waiting times during peak times. I have found you never stop learning as far as trying to speed up service. The biggest time saver was purchasing a Mazzer Robur electronic grinder which quickly dosed my group handle and PUQ press Q1 tamper. Then, even finding out about liquid raw sugar vs adding sugar and pre mixing the hot chocolate powder into a syrup made a difference to speed. However, still have problems when I get an order like 1 lg Capp, reg skim latte, lg oat flat white, two almond caps and babycino. Mean while in the time it takes to make that order 3 or 4 new orders come in and keep coming in for the 3 hours non stop. It does get frustrating not being able to go any faster and knowing people are waiting for their coffee. I can’t think of anything other than what I’m doing to speed things up. I even have the lids pre written with the type of coffee ordered. Have to say that when things go well and I don’t get the orders from hell it is very rewarding at the end of the day. Can ramble on for hours but will leave it at that. I love all your videos and have learnt many valuable lessons from them. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experience. Cheers Joe Gourmet Dog House

[@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters]

Thanks Joe, love the insight into how it's been for you. Good call on the grinder upgrade and auto tamp. Having multiple people on the machine is the next step for you. Or at least the person taking orders should be pouring coffees while taking orders. Great setup you've got being in a caravan park and those opening hours are a dream! Thanks again and all the best with the van.

[@joewisniewski3849]

@@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters Thanks for gettig back. Unfortunately We don't have the space for a second person to help. Will just have to work on being super switched on and not make any time consuming errors. Thankjs again and looking forward to you next video. Cheers Joe

[@MatthewLanglands-w3g]

As someone who’s looking to venture into the world of coffee trailers in the UK I find your videos extremely informative. I would love to see a longer video on coffee machines and grinders which don’t cost lots of money as starting with a strict budget. Great video - Thanks

[@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters]

Thanks Matthew glad you're finding our videos useful. I like your video idea too, we might have to shoot that one sometime soon. All the best with your business plans!

[@MatthewLanglands-w3g]

@@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters thanks very much 🙌🏼 when I get set up in UK you’ll have to come over and film

[@KB-in7hc]

@@MatthewLanglands-w3g I'm also UK based, and also considering venturing into the world of coffee trailers (total newbie, amateur home barista) - let me know if you're interested in being in contact just to share ideas and discuss progress or something! Would be good to share the journey (highly unlikely we are in the same area and end up as competitors I guess!)... ✌

[@MatthewLanglands-w3g]

@KB-in7hc sounds good bro. I'll be looking to get going end of Feb. Keep in touch

[@archbielby4832]

@@KB-in7hc @MatthewLanglands-w3g hey guys im also setting up a coffee van here in the UK (London) would be great to get in touch

[@bacca71]

Absolutely epic discussion of the realities of operating a coffee caravan. 56 min went by so fast. Also enjoyed some of the great scenery of Coff's Harbor. Well done!

[@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters]

Thanks heaps. We were worries about the length of this video but for those keen on trailers we figured you'd get the full value out of this much info. Thanks for watching.

[@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters]

what was most helpful for you?

[@bacca71]

@@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters The sheer breadth of issues facing a caravan coffee business - all that 56 minutes was put to very good use. You included a lot of items I'd never thought of (the weight of water, concerns with gas powered espresso machines, and the impact of caravan upgrades with regard to weight, etc. etc. - lots of small but important details). There was also a nice selection of coffee caravan operators who proved the points. The statistics of coffee caravan business longevity was also useful.

[@michaelivory7606]

Hi, as others have said a very comprehensive vid that you have done well to keep to under an hour but still cover all the considerations in a logical order. I also appreciate your honesty and why the coffee trailer isn't for you. But I think one of the biggest takeaways for me was your opinion on location and why...as you said this can make or break your business... regardless of how well you do everything else. As someone who always take the opportunity to buy coffee from a van I think owners need to be more cognisant of the average punter being more appreciative of a consistent decent coffee...especially at $6 a pop. Cheers

[@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters]

Thanks for the feedback Michael, I’m glad it came across so well. Long videos can be tough but they’re worth it if we get to cover everything. Glad it was helpful mate. Jimmy ✌🏻

[@vwlisa]

Great video. You pretty much covered it all. I have a Spitfire ( wouldn’t recommend by the way ) unless you could go there everyday to look at the progress. I know you guys have dealt with a fair few Spitfire customers. Anyway we had to sort many problems in the start regarding the build. Some which could have been disastrous. Events are definitely the way to go … which I have learnt after being in the same spot for a year. You can make more money at a single event than in 1 week. Beats waking up at 4am everyday doing the same thing over and over.

[@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters]

Shame to hear that was your experience. Positive that you’ve learnt over time what works for you. What is your van called? Jimmy ✌🏻

[@Zoky2020]

Great video! Do you have video about coffee carts, what to look for, how to build one and so on?

[@jecka1014]

YES, one really big thing you missed was menu size and how you should start small and how it can get overwhelming fast by adding thing to quickly to a menu can be your downfall simple is best!!!

[@AussieGypsyAll-Rounders]

Great info Jimmy👍 I bought my ‘hobby’ coffee van late 2019 and started operating off-grid in Central Queensland in January 2020. My aim was to be as ‘green’ as possible. I’m of the same mind as you re generators and operate @pollyannasoncurtis totally on solar power. 6.6kw of panels feeding a 5kW, 48V bank of batteries which services our house and my coffee van. Suffice to say Pollyanna doesn’t open when it’s raining😂 Enjoying your channel and learning heaps. Lee.

[@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters]

Amazing. Thanks for watching.

[@balmatian]

Great vid

[@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters]

Cheers. What did you find most helpful?

[@balmatian]

@@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters I think laying out the hard work involved in running a successful mobile coffee cart. So many people are blind to a dream that usually won’t succeed

[@polllopp9899]

Great vid!

[@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters]

Thanks! What did you find helpful?

[@polllopp9899]

@@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters Jimmy.

[@raihanahabibi-f2f]

😮

[@jameswilson4712]

Not sustainable in Melbourne in any form

[@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters]

Why?

[@jameswilson4712]

@@ArtistiCoffeeRoasters mainly the weather, you have to make enough money in 5 months to get through the other 7

[@jasonn1210]

Imagine buying a business and working in it? Youre buying yourself a job. Buy a business and employ people