From weddings to corporate retreats to private events like baby showers and birthday parties, a mobile coffee bar is becoming a popular feature to elevate the guest experience. For aspiring Coffeepreneurs® who want to get into the coffee business without the overhead of a brick-and-mortar location, coffee catering offers a compelling, lower-cost path in.
All photos in this post are from Texas Coffee School graduates, Sage and Honey and Sayfani Coffee.
Check out our 3-Day Coffee Business Master Class® to launch your own catering business.
At Texas Coffee School, we like to say we’re not teaching you how to open one coffee shop; we’re teaching you how to open four. (Or 10 or 20!) Why? Because whether you have ambitions for a thriving neighborhood hub or a coast to coast franchise, the solid business foundation you create in the very first shop is the same. But what about that second location? The second location can be both an exciting milestone and a unique challenge for business owners.
Blasia Esposito is finishing up her third year as a 7th grade English teacher. She was in her classroom when our team spoke to her on Zoom, backlit by string lights and an announcement of “13 Days Left of School” written on the whiteboard.
She may be counting down to a break from the classroom, but she’s gearing up for a busy season for her business: Blasia’s Coffee and Tea.
Smart Coffee Shop Owners Are Diversifying Their Drink Menus
Matcha, energy drinks, dirty sodas, and more. Non-coffee drinks have moved from novelty to the norm in coffee shops. Look no further than Starbucks, the most closely watched barometer of consumer behavior in the industry. Cold drinks account for half of Starbucks’ sales, and the menu has evolved in turn. The cold drinks on the menu expand far beyond coffee, from flavored iced matcha with protein cold foam to colorful refreshers.
A coffee cart is one of the most accessible entry points into coffee entrepreneurship available right now. Compared to a coffee truck ($35,000 to $100,000) or a traditional brick-and-mortar shop ($300,000 to $625,000 for a 1,500-square-foot space), a quality cart business can come together for a $7,500 to $15,000 all-in startup investment. With no long-term lease or build-out, a cart offers the freedom to move, experiment, and grow at your own pace.