By Bernie Rosenstein

10
May
Starting a Mobile Coffee Cart Business
Starting a Mobile Coffee Cart Business
May 10, 2025
NJCS

Our

Blog

Starting a Mobile Coffee Cart Business

  • By Bernie Rosenstein
Mobile coffee cart businesses are on the rise and more coffee carts are popping up in urban centers, business districts, and event spaces. There are several factors for this growing trend. Many entrepreneurial coffee enthusiasts who want to enter the coffee world of business find a coffee cart offers a low-cost accessible entry point to learn about the industry and the business. And as commercial real estate costs have continued to increase over the past few years, that has pushed more entrepreneurial-minded people to open mobile coffee businesses, including coffee carts, coffee trailers, and coffee trucks. Additionally, investing in a coffee cart provides existing café owners with a cost-effective way to expand their brand and community reach.
This guide will discuss why coffee cart businesses are appealing and explain the key planning, operational, and financial considerations for those interested in starting a coffee cart business. Many of the topics in this guide are covered in further detail in coffee cart business classes and barista training classes at the New Jersey Coffee School in Hoboken, New Jersey.

The Appeal of a Coffee Cart Business

There are many reasons why coffee cart businesses are appealing and continue to increase in popularity. Some of the advantages and benefits they offer include the following:

  • Low Startup Costs

Compared to brick-and-mortar coffee shops or mobile trailers and trucks, a coffee cart business requires significantly less capital to launch

  • Reduced Overhead

Mobile coffee cart businesses do not require significant long-term fixed costs like rent and spend less on staffing costs.

  • Mobility and Flexibility

  • The ability to move to different locations allows business owners to test demand in various markets and reach different customer bases
  • Coffee cart businesses can provide flexibility to sell coffee in many different settings, including outdoor locations, festivals, farmer’s markets, and private events (e.g., weddings, corporate events)

  • Community Engagement

  • A mobile coffee cart business has the potential to build a strong community presence
  • The cart business can provide personalised experience for those in the local community, creating brand loyalty from repeat customers and offers the ability to collaborate with local businesses
However, coffee cart businesses face some unique challenges as well. These challenges include the following:
  • Weather and seasonal challenges for outdoor locations
  • Obtaining licenses and permits and complying with local regulations which may be different for each location 
  • Lead time and physical demand associated with transporting, setting up and tearing down the coffee cart each day

Planning Your Coffee Cart Business

  • Initial Planning Steps

The initial planning for a coffee cart business is in many respects similar to the initial planning of any coffee business – owners need to determine their concept, target market(s), and plan their menu. It is also best to start a business plan early in the process.

  • Design and Obtain Your Coffee Cart

  • Understand the key components and features of the cart and how you would like to display your logo and brand
  • Ensure adequate power supply (e.g., generator) that can handle your equipment needs and determine the best source for your water
  • Decide if you want to build the coffee cart or purchase it from a vendor. Coffee carts (excluding the coffee equipment) generally cost only a few thousand dollars to build or buy although you can spend much more depending on the level of customization

  • Choose Your Coffee Equipment and Suppliers

Invest in a quality espresso machine, grinder and smallware brewing tools, and determine who will supply your coffee beans

  • Licensing and Permits

Research and ensure compliance with state and local regulations needed to operate your business, including various state and local business licenses, health department permits, food handling licenses, street vendor licenses, and location permits (if required). This is an area where you will need to understand the local municipal requirements for each area you plan to locate your coffee cart.

Also Read: Pro Tips For Running a Coffee Business

Operational Considerations

  • Choose Locations for Your Coffee Cart

  • Coffee cart owners typically want to seek locations with high foot or driving traffic that attract their target audience
  • However, there are several other factors to consider, include local zoning rules, demographics, weather and seasonal patterns, and nearby competition
  • As noted above, the business owner needs to understand and ensure compliance with local license and permit requirements and regulations when scouting out each location

  • Create a Marketing and Branding Plan

The initial planning for a coffee cart business is in many respects similar to the initial planning of any coffee business – owners need to determine their concept, target market(s), and plan their menu. It is also best to start a business plan early in the process.

  • Create Effective Business Processes

Business owners need to create effective systems for things such as inventory management, staff hiring and training (if required), and daily setup, cleaning, and tear-down procedures. Also, business owners need to ensure they have a cashless payment option.

Financial Considerations

If you manage to secure a good location and provide a high-quality product and superior customer experience, a coffee cart business can be quite profitable. This is partly due to the following factors:
  • Low startup costs – many coffee cart businesses can be launched with an initial investment of $10,000 – $20,000
  • Typically, there is a high profit margin on coffee beverages, generally 75-85% with the cost of goods sold being 15-25%
  • Reduced overhead costs as there is no fixed long-term rent
  • Event catering with large orders for weddings, festivals, or corporate events can also contribute to profitability

Coffee Business Courses

Business owners can benefit by taking a coffee entrepreneurship class, specialized coffee business courses, or by seeking advanced coffee business and barista training. At the New Jersey Coffee School, located in Hoboken New Jersey, our Mobile Coffee Cart Business Class goes into more detail about the topics mentioned in this guide and provides additional knowledge, strategies, and tools that can further assist a business owner to effectively launch and grow a coffee cart business.

Additionally, our Barista Training Level 1 and Level 2 Classes provide business owners and baristas looking to acquire the essential knowledge and skills to produce consistent high-quality coffee, espresso, and non-espresso-based beverages and would appeal to anyone opening a coffee cart business.

Summary

With the increased demand for high-quality, convenient coffee options, coffee cart businesses are expected to continue to grow. Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur or a coffee enthusiast, the coffee cart movement is a trend worth considering. If you are passionate about coffee, a coffee cart business can be a rewarding venture.
by Twinkle


01
Nov
coffee brewing classes near me - New Jersey Coffee School
All About Espresso
November 1, 2024
NJCS

Our

Blog

All About Espresso

  • By Bernie Rosenstein
Espresso is used in many coffee beverages that coffee lovers enjoy every single day. It is a key component in hot and iced espresso-based classic beverages such as lattes, cappuccinos, flat whites, and macchiatos when milk or micro foam are added to it, or a shot of espresso can simply be enjoyed by itself. You can find espresso-based beverages in any café or make them at home using an espresso machine.

Whether you’re a coffee enthusiast, a barista wanting to enhance your craft, or an aspiring coffee business owner interested in taking coffee making courses or seeking a barista training program to learn more about espresso, this guide will help you understand the components of espresso, how best to store espresso beans, the science of espresso extraction and ultimately what it takes to create consistent quality beverages using espresso.

What is espresso?

Espresso is a concentrated type of coffee made with specialty coffee beans. Espresso is made by putting finely ground espresso beans in a portafilter and having your espresso machine apply very high water pressure through the ground coffee to create a concentrated liquid.
A quality shot of espresso will have three components or layers – the crema, body, and heart
  • The crema is a golden brown creamy dense layer of foam that forms on the top layer of the espresso. It is comprised of carbon dioxide gas bubbles that attach to the coffee’s natural oils. It is an important component that influences the taste and texture of an espresso shot as it helps balance the acidic, sweetness, and bitterness of good tasting espresso.

 

  • The body is the middle layer below the crema and above the heart that typically has a medium caramel brown color and helps create the texture of an espresso shot.

 

  • The heart is the bottom layer of an espresso shot with a deep brown color and has a bitter taste that helps balance the sweetness of the crema.

A popular question that comes up all the time in our professional barista training classes – How should espresso beans be stored?

Espresso beans should be stored the same way any coffee beans should be stored – in the sealed bag that they came in or in an airtight container. The goal is to keep out air or moisture from the beans which will degrade the quality of the beans and taste of the espresso. It is not recommended to keep coffee beans in the refrigerator as this can expose the beans to unwanted moisture.

Science of Espresso Extraction

What goes into creating a quality espresso shot?

A quality espresso shot is created by understanding the espresso extraction process and knowing how to balance several variables when making espresso. The overall goal of the expresso extraction process is to balance the acidity, sweetness, and bitterness present in any quality espresso shot. To accomplish this, the following variables must be understood, controlled, and balanced:
  • Dose
  • Yield
  • Length of Extraction Time
  • Grind Size and Tamping Technique
  • Water Temperature and Pressure
And whether you are a home coffee enthusiast, barista, or an aspiring coffee business owner, the extraction process and controlling the key variables are the same whether you are creating espresso-based beverages using an expensive espresso machine in a commercial setting or a home espresso machine.

What are the general guidelines to control and balance each of the five key variables mentioned above to produce high quality espresso?

1. Dose

The dose refers to how much finely ground espresso beans you are using to create your espresso shot. Generally speaking, most cafes and commercial establishments grind 17 or 18 grams of finely ground coffee using a burr espresso grinder and place the coffee in a portafilter that attaches to the espresso machine. 

 This is the dose required to typically make about two ounces of espresso commonly called a “double shot”. It should be noted that in a home setting, sometimes you will use less than 17 grams of finely ground espresso beans as the size of the portafilter of home-based machines will dictate how many grams it can hold.

2. Yield

The yield or output refers to the amount of espresso that will be produced in an espresso shot glass after the water goes through the ground coffee and is based on an espresso recipe. The most common recipe to achieve a standard espresso shot (i.e., typically referred to as a double shot) is a 1:2 ratio. 

For example, if the dose used is 18 grams, the yield will typically be about 36 grams for a classic standard double shot of espresso. Again, if your home portafilter holds fewer grams of ground coffee (e.g., 15 grams), you can still apply the 1:2 ratio to determine your target yield (e.g., 30 grams).

In contrast to the standard shot of espresso, some consumers enjoy a shorter more concentrated shot of espresso referred to as a “ristretto” shot that typically has less water and ratio of about 1:1.5 dose to yield. And some consumers enjoy espresso with more water (usually twice as much as the classic espresso shot) referred to as a “Lungo” beverage with a typical ratio of 1:4 dose to yield.

3. Length of Extraction Time

The length of extraction time refers to the speed at which water flows through the ground coffee to achieve the desired yield in the espresso shot glass. In accordance with industry guidelines, it should generally take between 23-30 seconds to achieve the desired yield and optimal taste for a classic standard double shot of high-quality espresso. 

 The optimal taste or recipe may call for a specific time (e.g., 27 seconds) but that can vary based on a bean’s density, roast profile, and the subjective taste of the person creating the recipe. But any extraction time between 23 and 30 seconds will generally result in great tasting espresso!

4. Grind Size and Tamping Technique

As mentioned above, espresso is only made with finely ground espresso beans. However, grind size is this context refers to how fine the grind size must be to achieve the dose, yield and desired extraction time per the recipe. The burr grinders will typically produce coffee particles of equal size, but the size of each particle influences the time required for the water to pass through the ground coffee and produce the desired yield in the shot glass. 

 Additionally, once the grinder disperses the correct dose of coffee grounds into the portafilter, the loosely grounded coffee must be pushed down and compressed using a process called “tamping” to form what is commonly referred to as a puck within the portafilter. The goal is for the puck to be level, and particles evenly dispersed such that the water can saturate the particles and extract flavor. 

This can be achieved using a manual tool called a tamper or an automated machine such as a Pugpress.

5. Water Temperature and Pressure

The ideal temperature used in expresso extraction is generally between 195 degrees Fahrenheit and 205 degrees Fahrenheit (or 91 to 96 degrees Celsius). The water brewing pressure is commonly known as “9 bars” of pressure which is about 130 psi which is a lot of pressure. The water temperature and pressure are calibrated into the espresso machine, so they are not variables that need to be controlled by the person creating the espresso shot.
In summary, if a barista or coffee enthusiast can master the balancing of the first four variables above, they will produce high quality and great tasting espresso!

Troubleshooting Poor Tasting Espresso

What happens if your espresso is “under-extracted” or “over-extracted” resulting in poor taste and how can that be corrected to achieve great tasting espresso?

If espresso is under-extracted, it will taste too acidic, sour, salty or weak, lack sweetness and will not have enough crema. The causes of under-extraction include too little coffee used, extraction time too short, ground coffee particles used were too coarse, tamping the coffee unevenly, or water that was not hot enough.
To fix under-extracted espresso, adjust the grinder to make the ground coffee finer, or brew the coffee for a longer time, or check that the coffee grounds were properly tamped (i.e., evenly distributed).
Conversely, over-extracted espresso will taste too bitter, leave a dry mouthfeel, have dull flavors, and the crema will be a dark color and thinner than desired. The causes of over-extraction include too much coffee used, extraction time too long, ground coffee particles used were too fine, or the water temperature was too hot.
Over-extracted espresso can be fixed by adjusting the grinder to make the ground coffee coarser which will create larger particles and speed up the brew time, as well as checking that you have the correct amount of coffee brewing at the proper temperature.

Summary

Creating great tasting espresso and espresso-based beverages whether in a commercial setting or at home can be a fun and rewarding experience. Whether you are a beginner coffee enthusiast, barista, or an aspiring coffee business owner wanting to create espresso-based beverages, this guide will help you; however, it will take practice, patience, and experimentation with different espresso beans to master balancing all the variables needed to produce consistent high-quality beverages.

If you want to deepen your knowledge further and practice the art and craft of making espresso-based beverages, you may want to consider taking a barista training program or coffee making courses for home coffee enthusiasts or attending various coffee education classes at a coffee school in New Jersey where you can get hands-on experience working with coffee experts and espresso coffee equipment to hone your skills. And best of all, you will be able to enjoy making or serving customers delicious espresso-based beverages each and every day!

by new-jersey




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