Fresh Cup Magazine, providing specialty coffee and tea professionals with unique insight into the trends, ideas, products and people that shape their world.
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ON THE MOVE, ON THE RISE continued from page 39 ?5C62 *A6==2OD >@3:=6 42CE H2D 2 AC6=F56 E@ 9:D 3C:4<-2?5->@CE2C D9@A sustainability and green farming methods, Tran says this is "an elegant solution to getting our coffee out there before we start building cafés. Not because it's cool … but because it's who we are." For others, the mobile approach has served as a gateway to larger operations. Portland-based Café Spella began on a down- town corner when founder Andrea Spella bought a cart from an Indian food vendor and set up shop. "I was looking for a way to start a café and roastery, and at the time it seemed like a neat loca- tion, low overhead and just a real interesting way to start," he recalls. Spella operated the cart for four years before moving into a brick- and-mortar café, out of which he now runs a successful retail and wholesale business. Spella chose to go permanent (For more on the numbers behind carts and kiosks, turn to "Café Finance," p. 30.) Spella adds lower payroll overhead to this con- sideration—many carts and trucks can be staffed by one or two people. Though startup costs vary greatly depending on equip- ment selection and menu choice, generally, mobile options allow owners to try out the industry with reduced financial risk. Wasserman and Burgess both advise seeking consultation once You don't want to go in to sign your lease and all of a sudden find out that it's going to be $8,000 to get electricity in your cart. Go in with your eyes open and have the information. because of the particular hardships involved with his cart, which he describes as two sheets of aluminum that weren't designed to have people working inside of them. The inside temp could hit 120 degrees in the summer, and water pipes would freeze in the winter. In addition, he saw a huge fluctuation in business based on the weather—Spella says that when you're a nomad entrepre- neur, Mother Nature will "make you or break you." Besides the trendiness and mobility advantage, starting out small is, quite simply, cheaper. Bob Burgess, president of Cart & Kiosk Specialists and one of the pioneers of espresso carts in Seattle, says that whereas brick and mortar usually requires an investment of between $100,000 and $250,000, kiosks range from $20,000 to $70,000, and carts from $12,000 to $28,000. 40 Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com you decide to open up shop. Wasserman used a local coffee cart builder for advice on equipment and the truck's interior design. He had to consider which grinder and espresso machine would fit his bud- get and menu plan, but he also had to learn the municipal zoning requirements he'd have to follow when selecting a sink system and generator. Joes on the Nose runs on a 7,000-watt commercial gen- erator, which powers an arsenal of equipment including a two-group Elektra Modern Maxi espresso machine, a Mazzer Mini Grinder, a Bunn LPG2E grinder and a Bunn batch brewer. Burgess says these nuts-and-bolts issues—how far away the bathrooms need to be and what kind of sinks are required—can account for much of the time you'll devote to the project. "You don't want to go in to sign your lease and all of a sudden find out that it's going to be $8,000 to get electricity in your cart. Go in with your eyes open and have the information," he says. Wasserman says that many people misjudge the difficulties of starting a mobile coffee business, especially in terms of permit- ting. Before he launched, he checked with several local zoning entities, including the San Diego Coastal Commission, the police NICOLE O'BANION