Each day, Americans drink as many as 400 million cups of coffee, which equals 146 billion cups per year, making many business people wonder if they should research coffee vending carts supplies and equipment. With Americans being the leading consumers of coffee and coffee making up 75% of the caffeine Americans consume, the coffee shop, kiosk and cart business continues to expand and grow. The least expensive way to take advantage of the booming coffee business is to run a mobile coffee cart. But what do you need to get started?

Aside from permits and licenses, there are three main areas every portable coffee cart business person must consider. They are:

1. Purchasing or renting mobile coffee vending carts,

2. Buying essential accessories for coffee cart businesses,

3. And stocking disposable items for mobile coffee carts.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find the right coffee cart for sale

If you don't have much start-up cash, you have two options for obtaining a vending cart. One is to find a coffee cart rental, which usually doesn't require a down payment and costs less each month than making payments on a loan. Or, you may invest in a new or used cart and make monthly payments; in the end, you'll spend less money this way.

I recommend: Carriage Works is a great place to look if you're buying a coffee cart; they carry 5-foot carts, 6-foot carts and larger sizes. AAA Commercial Products sells coffee vending carts of all sizes.

Consider accessories for portable coffee carts

Carefully consider whether your coffee cart needs additional accessories. For example, do you need solid shelving (easier to clean and contains spills most easily) or vented shelving (better circulation for food products and easier to move)? If you'll be serving espresso, clearly you'll need special equipment for that as well. Finally, consider accessories like canopies and umbrellas that draw attention to your cart.

I recommend: For tips on what sort of shelving and racks you'll need, check out Food Service Warehouse. Cook's Direct sells umbrellas, hand wash stations, covers, well chambers and more.

Purchase disposable supplies for your mobile coffee cart

At the very least, you'll need several types of coffee, tea and snacks for your coffee cart. Carefully consider which products to choose; will your customers most likely purchase organic coffee and fresh fruits or will they prefer espresso and donuts? Try to find one supplier for most or all of your needs, thereby eliminating wasted time and shipping costs.

I recommend: Read "Organic Food Makes Its Mark On This Year's Festival Circuit" at Strategic Edge Consulting, which discusses the importance of organic foods and vending carts. Coffee Cow is a wholesale supplier of coffees, teas, creamers, sweeteners, cups and lids, utensils, candy, pastries and more.

Making a living off coffee vending cart sales is relatively easy. You have little overhead and you don't even have to deal with advertising—your customers are purely from foot traffic. As you become better known, patrons will keep coming back when they're in your area.

You can set up your coffee vending cart in a number of places, including busy sidewalks, parks, malls and near special events. Select from a variety of mobile or stationary cants, and, if you have the desire and cash, customize the cart you choose to best fit your business.

Before you jump in and buy a cart to start your business, think about the following:

1. Do some research on what it takes to start up coffee cart businesses. Your most expensive cash outlay will be for the cart itself.

2. Determine the best locations for your coffee vending carts. You must choose places that have lots of foot traffic as well as customer bases that will take advantage of your services.

3. Start with a small, basic cart and then upgrade as you begin to see some profits. When buying a coffee cart, just start out with an affordable cart that fits your initial needs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find a quality mobile coffee cart for sale

Portable coffee carts have to be able to stand up to the abuse caused by transporting them around on a regular basis. If you want to sell coffee on the streets, at concerts, art shows or special events, you'll need a sturdy cart that's made well.

I recommend: Check out the towable carts that Apollo Food and Beverage Carts offers. If you're interested in exploring coffee cart franchises, Cuppy's Coffee & More might be the right opportunity for you.

Set up a stationary coffee vending cart

Many hospitals, airports, malls, theme parks and other gathering places have coffee carts and kiosks set up for their visitors. Stationary carts are better for these locations since it would be a real hassle to move a mobile cart each and every day.

I recommend: Choose from a wide array of coffee and espresso vending carts at Merchandising Frontiers. Take a look at the variety of coffee and beverage vending carts at AAA Commercial Products.

Consider custom coffee vending carts

When you start a coffee cart business, it's beneficial to get your company's name and logo printed on your awning or your cart. This makes you look more professional and allows customers to spread your name when they talk to their friends about how good your coffee is.

I recommend: Compare the carts from AllStar Carts and Vehicles, which can be customized for your business. 21st Century Products also offers custom carts.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you only need access to a cart for special occasions or if you only work seasonally, consider locating a coffee cart rental company in your area. That way, you're not paying to use the cart when you don't even need it.

A coffee vending cart can be a great business for the first-time entrepreneur. With little overhead costs, there is a greater chance of success. If you're looking at buying a coffee vending cart, however, you may find that there are terms that you are not familiar with. You'll need to decide what type of canopy, if any, you want. You'll also need to determine what types of coffee you'll be serving and whether you will serve food as well, which will help choose some of the features, such as a display window or racks. Learn the following terms to get started.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Pastry display window

If you plan on selling pastries on your coffee cart, you'll want a cart that has a pastry display window. This is a window in the front of the car that allows customers to view pastries and other offerings.

I recommend: Visit Merchandising Frontiers to see an example of a coffee vending cart with a pastry display window.

Canopy

The canopy is a part that covers the cart. Depending on its size, it can protect the coffee, food and employees from the sun. Canopies can often be customized with your business name, which makes your cart easily recognizable.

I recommend: CMC Espresso shows a number of different canopy styles.

Casters

Casters are the wheels attached to the bottom of the shopping cart. Casters can be stationary or swivel. If you want your cart to be portable, then it's a good idea to look for one with casters.

I recommend: You can see different types of casters at Hamilton Caster.

Vented or solid shelving

Solid shelving is a shelf made out of a solid piece of metal or wood. It is easy to clean and is a good solution for storing liquids that may spill, such as cream and flavored syrups for coffee. Vented shelving has slats that allow the air to pass through. Vented shelving may be an ideal option for storing sugar.

I recommend: Check out the Food Service Warehouse for a discussion on whether you need vented or solid shelving.

Hand sink cart

A hand sink cart is a small portable hand sink. This is necessary for hand washing, but you may also be able to use it to wash equipment in between preparing your customers' coffee beverages.

I recommend: See a hand sink cart at Cooks Direct.

Ice caddie

An ice caddie keeps ice cool. You can sometimes find carts that include an ice caddie, but you may have to buy one separately. This is great if you want to provide iced coffee beverages, a popular choice.

I recommend: See both short and tall ice caddies at Dei Design.

If you want to start a mobile coffee business, you'll want to consider the best ways of saving money on coffee vending carts and supplies. Maximizing your profits by choosing smart ways to be frugal is never out of style, even if coffee is big business these days. Coffee profits are relatively easy to make; Americans drink 146 billion cups of coffee each year, and if you run a street or office coffee cart, you may have no overhead. You don't even need to advertise; customers are passerbys, who are attracted to the great smell of your coffee.
There are several ways to trim you coffee cart business costs even further, however. We'll look at three major ways to do this:

1. Buying used mobile coffee vending carts
2. Leasing or renting portable coffee carts
3. Purchasing coffee cart business supplies in bulk

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Purchase a portable coffee cart that's pre-owned

Buying a coffee cart new is so costly that many people must obtain financing. But if you shop around, you can find a fantastic pre-owned coffee vending cart at a fraction of the price. Ideally, you'll examine the cart in person, checking that it's not only pleasing to the eye but is in good working order. Although newspapers in larger cities list each coffee cart for sale by individuals, some businesses selling used vending carts may offer a 30-day guarantee on their used carts.

I recommend: Breaktime Vending sells a variety of used vending carts, including those suitable for coffee. Carriage Works also has a limited number of pre-owned coffee vending carts available.

Consider a coffee cart rental

One way to greatly reduce your up-front costs is to lease carts from coffee vending cart suppliers. Usually no down payment is required and your monthly payments are lower than if you were buying down a loan. Another potentially useful option is to rent a cart.

I recommend: Mobile Vending Units leases coffee and other types of vending carts. National Food Cart Rentals rents many types of vending carts, including coffee carts.

Buy mobile coffee carts supplies at wholesale prices

Some small businesses do not bother buying wholesale; they prefer the convenience of not having to store bulk items and end up spending considerably more to buy their supplies at retail prices. But if you're watching your budget, it makes more sense to buy in larger quantities and get a great wholesale price. Just be sure you don't buy much more than you can sell, or you'll be wasting product--and money.

I recommend: For bulk purchases such as cups, lids, napkins and utensils, consider WholesaleCoffeeSupplies.com. Coffee Wholesale USA sells coffee, coffee makers, grinders, filters, sweeteners and much more at wholesale prices.