Mobile Coffee Business

coffeebeans

I am thinking of setting up a mobile coffee business the type of van that is often seen at music festivals and concerts. I am hoping to trade at local parks, Sunday football/GAA matches etc (licence permitting etc, etc). The companies that manufacture these vans are all English based however I have noticed a couple of secondhand vans for sale on in Ireland. I was wondering if people think that something like this could be a success in the Dublin area? Would people be interested in buying coffee/tea on a cold Sunday in their local park? Or if anyone knows anyone who has tried this and succeeded?

Any opinions would be appreciated.

coffeebeans

I am thinking of setting up a mobile coffee business the type of van that is often seen at music festivals and concerts. I am hoping to trade at local parks, Sunday football/GAA matches etc (licence permitting etc, etc). The companies that manufacture these vans are all English based however I have noticed a couple of secondhand vans for sale on in Ireland. I was wondering if people think that something like this could be a success in the Dublin area? Would people be interested in buying coffee/tea on a cold Sunday in their local park? Or if anyone knows anyone who has tried this and succeeded?

Any opinions would be appreciated.

Lil' Smiler

Yeah it's definitely a good idea.

When I was younger, my dad was chairperson or something of the local football club and a coach. He got my mum to run a shop out of the back of the car, from what I can remember it was brilliant... of course I was 9 so sweets being freely available all the time was AMAZING! but it worked out very well, have things other than just coffee/tea, have chocolate/crisps/soft drinks for kids!

coffeebeans

You must have been in heaven . Thanks for the advice.

Lil' Smiler

Oh I was!!

Even still, I'm a gymnastics coach, when we have competitions to go to there's always a stall or whatever with sandwiches, crisps, bars, sweets, tea, coffee, soft drinks, fruit etc.. because people are bored sometimes, when people are bored they eat! I know that they always make great money for the clubs its in!

unklerosco

My Boss wishes they sold coffee instead of papers at the lights during traffic... He says near every day... There's deffo money to be made there..

foodaholic

the train station in newbridge used to have something similar, it was great. you should look for a commuter station that doesnt have a coffee shop and get the morning trade

rockbeer

I would say that parks when there's no event on are likely to be an exercise in frustration and waste. You have to bear in mind that while the percentage mark up on drinks is pretty good, the actual amount you pull in per unit is tiny. Therefore you really need to be doing serious volume to make any proper money.

This sort of idea can defninitely work but you need to think clearly about where there are crowds and how you can get to them. Parking on the side of the road isn't going to cut it. Think about things like:

- farmers' markets
- Matches (as you suggest)
- Commuter railway stations during rush hour
- Festivals, gigs etc.

If you can come up with a workable strategy for finding a crowd most days of the week you can make it work. If you're hoping they'll find you I think you can probably forget it.

I used to run a mobile espresso bar at a couple of fairly busy small town farmers markets and it did well, but the income from drinks alone wasn't really enough. I had to top it up with food - simple things like cakes & pastries, soup and paninis are good options.

Finally, it's a big outlay to get started so make sure your strategy is sound before you start spending.

Drop me a pm if you've any specific questions.

rockbeer

See my post in the Coffee & Tea forum.

brettmirl

Deffo a great idea. Let us know if you get it up and running!

Mr Magnolia

coffeebeans, one thread is enough on the subject.

Threads merged.

Good luck with your venture.

hshortt

My son plays rugby in Greystones and there is a mobile coffee, muffins, snacks van that's there every Sunday morning now. I've never used it myself, but it's always busy. It's a good idea in my opinion.

Cheerio
Howard

coffeebeans

Thanks for all the replies & useful advice.

And sorry for the thread mix up, it is my first time using boards.ie!:)

Mr Magnolia

coffeebeans wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies & useful advice.

And sorry for the thread mix up, it is my first time using boards.ie!:)

No problems at all. Keep us updated with what you decide to do. Plenty of advice available on equipment and beans too. Have you anything planned?

donalgeraghty

hi,i think thats a great idea,did u get it up and running yet?hows it going?

Seaneh

The best place to get morning trade (7-9o'clock) would be as someone elsse said at either a commuter train stop woth no shop/cafe or one of the really busy luas, bus or dart stops.

After that id say parks like stephens green and around the zoo in pheonix on busy summer days would be a great spot.

also, outside croker on match days, at music festivals etc...

Shipman

Can you let me know if a licence is needed to sell Tea And Coffee and Buns at an event ie Market, Boot sale etc

wheels of ire

I don't think so, but you will have to pay for your pitch at a farmer's Market, car boot sale.
Good luck with it. I used drive one of those little Api vans when living in Italy years ago. Just for info they aremade by Piaggio,who make Vespas. (vespa means wasp; ape means bee, and the work vehicles are named afterthe useful bee)

Shipman

A thousand thanks for your reply

Much appreciated

leahcim

There is a guy who comes and parks in our office car park for 30 mins each morning selling coffee and food from a van.

The van has an expresso machine in the back.

I looked up the website on the van http://www.cafe2u.co.uk/ and it seems to be a franchise.

He didn't seem to be doing that much business to be honest but you could contact the franchise holder to see what the costs involved are.

Shipman

Leahcim

Many thanks for your reply, I have done a costing and it would seem to
be not worth while in doing a Tea& Coffee stall with what one has to pay for admission.

archie murray

hi,i am looking into the coffee business and thinking of investing in a coffee van.is there any place in ireland that makes them?

any info appreciated:)

autotrader

One thing to consider when setting up one of these stalls is that outside temperature, particularly cold temperature plays havoc with the grinding of the beans and will lead to a huge variance in the quality of your coffee. Also brewing espresso needs to be done at particular temp to get the best results

If you are planning on just shovelling out average/crap coffee, probably not a big deal but if you're planning on doing really nice, barista style coffee, it'll be hard to get a consistent quality from a freezing cold van.

Also, cold temperatures can wreck an expensive espresso machine fairly quickly.

I've considered one of these vans for a weekend side venture but I wasn't happy with the level of product that could be produced outside

Animord

archie murray wrote: »

hi,i am looking into the coffee business and thinking of investing in a coffee van.is there any place in ireland that makes them?

any info appreciated:)

http://www.dogeatdoginc.com/#sthash.8d8gJpeV.dpbs

archie murray

thanks for the reply,but i heard bad reports on that company,john wayne comes to mind!!

jerrymc

Hi everyone,

Do you know if you need a permit to sell tea & coffee at a commuter train stop with no shop/cafe or one of the really busy luas, bus or dart stops?

Any advise would be great

the beer revolu

jerrymc wrote: »

Hi everyone,

Do you know if you need a permit to sell tea & coffee at a commuter train stop with no shop/cafe or one of the really busy luas, bus or dart stops?

Any advise would be great

On any public land, you need a permit - very difficult to get in most cities.
If on private land you just need the landowner's permission.
You'd also need public liability insurance.