
What does it take to succeed in the custom coffee van business?
There is so much to think about when designing a mobile café business. There’s the custom van design, the market and supply of quality coffee. We spoke to the boys at Mobile Cafés Australia about what it takes to succeed.
As far as accessibly priced businesses go, a custom coffee van is probably the ideal entry into small business. And with Australians love affair with caffeine (the so-called ‘the perfect drug’) on the rise, taking coffee to the masses has proven as lucrative as it is appreciated by thirsty office workers.
Fitting out a custom coffee van is also as much as lifestyle choice as it is a business with thousands of carts and vans servicing business parks, sporting grounds and everywhere in between across Australia.
Mobile Cafés Australia director Darren Schultz says the opportunity is there for the taking. “From a lifestyle perspective, getting into a coffee van is a great entry into small business. The harder you want to work, the more you can earn,” he says.
He says that after quality food went mobile, it was only a matter of time before consumers demanded quality from mobile beverage operators.
“The mobile food vendor and Barista-made coffee side of things is growing and there is now an expectation at every sporting event, weekend market, school fete and other markets that quality will be served,” Darren says.
It is this blend of quality and customer service that is the secret to success.
Succeeding in a custom coffee van business
Mobile Cafés Australia is the brainchild of co-directors Darren Schultz and Jonathan Payne, who have over a combined 50 years of experience in the mobile café business. They’ve been involved in all parts of the business: from starting and running their own mobile cafés to spending nearly a quarter of a century designing and perfecting coffee vans, to creating a franchise network and supporting independent operators to get on their feet.
They’ve learned plenty in that time, and are keen to pass on what they know to new and existing vendors, and established bricks and mortar stores who want to add a mobile component to their businesses.
And while getting the technical aspects of the van and building a water tight business plan are important, the pair believe that customer service is at the heart of building a great business and a loyal client base.
According to Darren, it takes a particular personality type to succeed.
“It’s about the passion for the business. It’s not just about a good quality product. That is a large component. It is the personality that you put into the business. I’ve seen really good baristas will not do as well as the person who makes a 7 or 8 out of ten coffees,” Darren says. “You are a part of their day. We rock up, have a quick chat and really become part of the daily experience.”
Jonathan agrees.
“At the heart of any service business is a passion for the customer. Now, that doesn’t give you permission to use or make average coffee. But you must really get into your customers and make sure that they are loved,” he explains.
“Repeat business is the key to coffee business and it is the quality of those micro relationships that really make the difference between those business that succeed and those that fail. That is the difference we see across our franchises,” he says.
Custom coffee van design
But passion and customer service are nothing without reliable consistency.
That is why drawing from the experience of arguably Australia’s most experienced coffee van vendors before designing your own coffee van and business model is a must. Whether it is the various iterations (they’ve made the mistakes so you don’t have to) of coffee vans, understanding the market, sourcing supply or training in the use of the coffee machine, the duo at Mobile Cafés Australia works tirelessly to help its clients succeed.
“After all these years, I still have a passion for it,” Darren says.
To learn more about how Mobile Cafés Australia can help you succeed in custom coffee vans and mobile cafés, contact Darren or Jonathan.