Photos
Konstantin Mitrokhov
Moscow authorities have not yet determined trade rules for food trucks and mobile catering outlets, but this does not prevent the industry from actively developing. Mini-vans with coffee can now be found both in the capital’s parks and near metro stations (in the latter case, they most likely operate illegally). Now in Moscow there are more than 60 companies that sell coffee from wheels. In the fall, the Duma will receive draft amendments to the trade law, which should determine the rules of the game for them. After this, there may be even more market participants. The entrance price to it is now about a million rubles - for this money you can buy a car, equipment, consumables, rent a place in the park and a garage. Investments can be returned within a year. The Village learned from the founder of one of the first mobile coffee shops in Moscow how to start this business.
Advantage
An inexpensive way to enter the Moscow catering market
Alexey Fedosov
founder of the Kofegliano mobile coffee shop chain
He was one of the first to start a mobile coffee shop in 2011. Now he has ten cars that work in different parks in the city.
Step 1. Purchase of machinery and equipment
To start a business, you can buy a new or used van, as well as equipment for making coffee (you can't do without a coffee machine and coffee grinder). All this will cost 500–900 thousand rubles.
Alexey Fedosov: “ Some buy used cars, others buy new ones and make everything their own. It all depends on the wishes of the customer - there are entire workshops that specialize in refurbishment of mobile coffee shops. The most popular car brands for them are Peugeot Partner, Renault Kangoo, Citroën Berlingo. Coffee equipment can also be purchased from well-known brands like San Marco or Cimbali, or the more affordable MCE.”
IP, Documents
LLC, Documents
Application in form P11001, charter, decision on creation, formalized by the decision of the sole founder or minutes of the general meeting of founders, constituent documents of a legal entity
State duty
4 thousand rubles
Time to register
5 working days
Step 2. Renting a place
Mobile coffee shops in Moscow are not very mobile and, by law, can only operate in one of the capital’s parks, in the parking lot of a shopping center or other commercial facility. The rental rate depends on the prestige of the location and ranges from 10–30 to 100 thousand rubles per month. The highest prices are in the central parks of the city. It's also worth thinking about where you'll park your car overnight.
Alexey Fedosov:“Currently, by law, mobile coffee shops cannot move; they are considered non-stationary objects. It's something like a kiosk, but you don't need to connect electricity and communications. At the same time, working on the sidelines is guerrilla warfare, which can get you into trouble with the police.”
Average rental rate
30 thousand rubles per month
Step 3. Purchasing consumables
To work you will need coffee beans and milk. For large volumes, you can purchase from wholesale suppliers; consumables for one machine can also be purchased in the store. In total, they will spend about 30% of monthly revenue, which usually amounts to 150–200 thousand rubles per car.
Alexey Fedosov: “ We purchase coffee from wholesale suppliers; smaller companies purchase from Metro. It is worth considering that 80% of sales come from cappuccino. Coffee is an impulse product: people see a branded machine and come up to try it. But if the quality of the coffee is low, customers will not come back to you.”
Product costs
from 50 thousand rubles per month
Step 4. Obtaining Permits
Cars must have a sanitary certificate. This is important, since mobile coffee shops are periodically inspected by Rospotrebnadzor and SES. In addition, it is important to have a permit to trade in this particular place and a lease agreement for it.
Alexey Fedosov:“A lot of cars appeared this year. Now there are fewer spaces in parks than cars - all due to the fact that the price of entry into the market is low. Now we have created an association of mobile coffee shops, which is developing common rules of the game and quality standards. We cooperate with the Moscow City Park and the administration of the Moscow region; we want all cars to be of Euro-4 standard, people to work in disposable gloves and to comply with sanitary standards. We will give a mark of quality to those who adhere to these rules."
Step 5. Hiring employees
At first, an entrepreneur can work on his own. True, in order to reach the average level of revenue, he will have to work every day. As the business expands, it will be possible to hire other employees.
Alexey Fedosov:“You can work with one machine yourself, but for two you need to hire two more assistants who will work in shifts. It is important that they have a driver's license. If a replacement needs to be made, the owner takes over. Workers also need to be trained. Our training lasts two days, and there is also a day of practice.”
Requirements for employees
driver's license, medical card
A coffee shop on wheels or a mobile coffee shop is an extremely popular business today; more and more coffee machines are appearing on busy areas of the streets, near intersections, universities, office buildings, and in parks. Is a mobile coffee shop on wheels profitable and how to open such a point in your city? In this review, we will together draw up a business plan for a mobile coffee shop “from A to Z” (calculations for 2018).
Be sure to check it out video, in which real owners of mobile coffee shops talk about how their business works from the inside
Business niche analysis
It's no secret that many people love fresh, hot and aromatic coffee. This drink energizes you and puts you in a good mood for the day. People drink coffee in the morning to cheer up faster, put their thoughts in order, and get ready. In the rhythm of life in big cities, people do not always have enough time to brew delicious, high-quality coffee and have time to drink it. Most often they use cheap freeze-dried coffee, which is only remotely comparable to natural coffee.
On the way to work or school, a person smells this wonderful aroma of a fresh, strong drink nearby and turns his attention there. He really needs that black coffee, cappuccino, latte, hot chocolate, coffee with milk or various additives. Coffee in drive-thru coffee shops is made in professional coffee machines and is not inferior in quality to any coffee establishments. In addition, it is faster and very cheaper for the end consumer.
It is best to place a coffee shop on wheels in busy areas with a large flow of people: street intersections, parks, student areas, office buildings, central streets, subway exits or underground passages, bus stops. Due to the fact that the coffee shop is “on wheels,” you can choose where to park your car, depending on the flow of people, which should definitely be taken into account in your business plan. Plus, regardless of location, you won’t have to pay rent! However, do not change your location too often, otherwise it will be difficult for people to “catch” you and remember you. It’s better to develop and launch another mobile coffee shop as an additional business, which often grows into a network.
The market for mobile coffee shops is practically undeveloped, so there is a chance to make decent money from this by offering customers something that is not available in any coffee shop on wheels! Look at the business and experience of European mobile coffee shops, because this is where the idea came from. Borrow ideas from more experienced colleagues or come up with your own. By the way, the money turnover that coffee brings is the second largest in the world (the first place is occupied by the oil industry).
To open such a business, you have 2 ways:
- buy the franchise of a company that is already doing this;
- try to organize a business yourself.
The fact is that a mobile coffee shop is a young business; there are no legal approvals yet. You will either have to study this market yourself or buy the franchise. In the latter case, experienced entrepreneurs will explain and teach everything, but you will have to buy a franchise, which costs about 300,000 rubles. This includes a mobile bus or car, a recipe, the right to use a trademark and a starting advertising campaign.
Still, it’s better to try to open your own business, draw up a unique business plan, maybe even through trial and error, but gain experience so that in the future you can open another van, for example. There is a list of necessary documents to open a mobile coffee shop; you can find it on legal websites.
Buying a coffee car
To start a business, you can buy either a bicycle or a mini-bus, depending on how much revenue you expect.
On average, a car should cost you from 300,000 to 500,000 rubles. Plus a battery for recharging the coffee shop on wheels.
Include monthly expenses in your business plan: car washing and possible repairs - from 5,000, gasoline costs - from 1,000, garage rental (if not available) - from 10,000, depending on the city and location.
To decorate a car and declare that it is a mobile coffee shop, you will need the services of a designer and a decoration specialist, which costs about 40,000.
Purchasing equipment for a mobile coffee shop
The coffee shop should have a coffee machine so that visitors can see the process of making coffee. Don’t skimp on the coffee machine and coffee beans; customers want to drink delicious, high-quality coffee at an affordable price. This is the trick of a mobile coffee shop and the demand for business as such.
A good, professional coffee machine for a mobile coffee shop costs from 50,000 and above; be sure to include the cost of equipment in your business plan, because they are the most significant. By the way, if the manufacturer sells coffee and syrups, then you can negotiate a discount by buying everything in bulk.
In addition, in the hot season you will need an ice maker, its cost starts from 8,000.
Consumables: coffee, water, milk, syrups, sugar
Buy coffee in beans so that you can grind it in front of customers.
Every day you will consume about 100 servings of coffee. This is approximately 1 kilogram of coffee. Multiply by the number of calendar days, we get 30 kg of coffee per month.
The following expenses should be taken into account in the business plan as monthly:
- Water - one 20-liter bottle per day. 80 rubles for one bottle. In 30 days, 30 bottles are consumed - 2,400.
- Milk - 3 packs per day or more. 40 rubles per pack multiplied by 30 days = 3,600.
- Syrups - purchase several flavor syrups at once (10 pieces) for 2 months. 300 rubles per bottle (3,000 for 10 bottles) for 60 days = 30,000. For 30 days - 15,000.
- Sugar - 500 rubles. It is quite possible that the coffee company from which you purchase in bulk may give you sugar as a gift.
- Paper glass with lid 100 pieces per day = 15,000 in 30 days.
- Taking into account that you will buy good coffee (about 300 rubles per 1 kg) - 9,000 is spent on coffee per month.
Mobile coffee shop staff
To operate, you will need 2 sales drivers in shifts (aka baristas for a mobile coffee shop) - from 25,000 each for 30 days. It’s best if they work from 7-8 in the morning, when other coffee shops are still closed and people are already rushing to work.
Starting capital and payback
With an average bill for coffee - 65 rubles for 1 glass and with 100 glasses per day - it will be 6,500 per day. Multiply by 30 (calendar month) - 195,000 profit per month.
Now let’s calculate all expenses, including product, personnel and transport (possible expenses for repairs) - 103,000.
That leaves 92,000 net profit per month. Multiply by 12 - 1,104,000 per year.
The initial investment for a coffee shop business plan is from 456,000 rubles (including the purchase of a car for 300,000). That is, you will pay for your business in less than half a year!
Roman Agarkov specially for Intellectis
Today, many of us dream of opening our own business. But how to choose the right profitable niche so as not to burn out? One of the promising areas of business is coffee shops on wheels. This is due to the fact that many people drink several cups of coffee every day. And what better place to do this than on the street? This business is quite simple to start, but in order for it to start generating stable profits, it is necessary to clearly establish a work process. So what do you need to do to open a coffee shop on wheels? The business plan that will be presented below will help you realize this idea.
What is this business?
For the first time, this format of street trading points, such as mobile coffee shops, appeared in Europe, from where it eventually came to our country. Despite the fact that this type of business in Russia is very poorly developed, consumers appreciated the convenience and practicality of such points of sale, so a coffee shop on wheels, the business plan for which will be given below, is attracting the attention of an increasing number of entrepreneurs. The advantage of this type of business is the ease of starting and minimal investment when compared to city coffee shops.
Market State
Before we talk about how to open a coffee shop on wheels from scratch, a business plan for which is very easy to draw up, you need to study the market and assess the prospects of this business niche. As statistics show, every person drinks coffee periodically, so there is a stable demand for it. Thus, surviving in this market segment is much easier than in many other niches.
It is important to understand here that the survival of a coffee shop on wheels depends on the following factors:
- drink quality;
- location of the coffee outlet.
The convenience of this type of activity lies in its mobility. If necessary, you can move to areas with greater foot traffic, thus increasing your own sales.
The main idea of a business plan and the essence of a startup
The main objective of any business plan is to make the project profitable.
If you don’t know how to start a business plan for a coffee shop on wheels, then first you should decide on the following data that will be used when writing it:
- Type of activity: selling coffee through a mobile point of sale.
- Form of ownership: individual entrepreneur.
- Taxation system: simplified.
- Accounting: independently.
- Number of sales points: 1.
- Assortment: various types of coffee.
- Starting capital: 1 million rubles.
The main one is to calculate the amount required to implement the project, determine the potential of the business, assess potential risks and calculate the payback period. Without these calculations, the business plan for a coffee shop on wheels will be incomplete, and the business launched based on it will be ineffective.
Competitiveness and potential consumers
The mobile coffee shop market is not oversaturated, so there is no strong competition here. In addition, it is possible to change the parking location, which allows you to completely avoid competition. The main consumers are all passers-by, regardless of age, who lead an active and busy lifestyle that does not allow them to sit in the cafeteria over a cup of coffee.
Ways to start a business
So, how to open a coffee shop on wheels, for which you can draw up a business plan yourself?
There are two main ways to start a business selling coffee through mobile sales points:
- Starting from scratch on your own.
- Buying a franchise.
A franchise eliminates any headaches because with it you get a fully working business system and also receive training on running a coffee shop on wheels. But we will look at launching a startup from scratch.
What documents will be needed?
In order for your coffee shop on wheels, an example of a business plan for which will be presented later in this article, to flourish, you will need to prepare the following package of documents:
- Document on registration as an individual entrepreneur.
- Permission from local government authorities to locate a retail outlet.
- List of products that will be sold. Submitted to the regional sanitary and epidemiological station.
- Employee employment agreement.
- Certificate of conformity for the coffee machine.
- Sanitary book for the seller.
- Conclusion on product safety from the sanitary and epidemiological station.
In order to sell coffee on wheels, you will need to re-equip the transport space. Therefore, in addition to the above documents, you will also need a certificate of approval of the design features of the car, an auto inspection certificate, and a certificate of conformity.
Which transport is best for this business?
Most entrepreneurs buy cars of the following brands to launch a startup selling coffee from wheels: Renault Kangu, Peugeot Partner, Citroen Berlingo and Fiat Doblo. The average cost of these cars is 800,000 rubles. Alternatively, you can consider buying a used car, but in our business plan we will take into account a new vehicle.
What equipment will be needed?
The heart of any coffee shop is a coffee machine, so you should think about buying professional equipment. This will require about 70 thousand rubles. It’s not worth saving on this, since the number of sales depends on the quality of coffee. The coffee machine will also require two autonomous power sources capable of providing 12 hours of continuous operation. Their cost is 4,000 rubles.
Cost of starting a business
To open a coffee shop on wheels in Russia, the business plan of which will allow you to launch a profitable business, you will need 1 million rubles.
The main expense items are as follows.
Name | Quantity, pcs | Cost, thousand rubles |
Registration and approval | ||
Vehicle | ||
Coffee machine | ||
Batteries | ||
Vehicle conversion | ||
Purchase of raw materials | ||
| 50 | ||
Costs include installation of a cash register and refrigeration equipment, arrangement of a workplace for the seller and other related expenses.
As for the calculation of the costs required to purchase ingredients for preparing hot drinks, they were based on the fact that 100 glasses of the drink will be sold daily, each of which requires 7 grams of coffee to prepare. The average cost of a kilogram of coffee today is 600 rubles.
Thus, one million rubles is enough to open a coffee shop on wheels, the business plan of which is discussed in this article.
Hired employees
To obtain a stable profit, it is necessary for the coffee shop on wheels to work seven days a week and 12 hours a day, so for its normal functioning you will need to hire two salespeople. The salary for each of them will be 25 thousand rubles per month.
Product cost
To obtain a stable profit from a coffee shop on wheels, the business plan must necessarily contain a calculation of the cost of one cup of coffee and the markup on it.
Making a cup of coffee will cost you the following amount:
One glass of coffee sells for 60 rubles on average, but in order to attract as many customers as possible and quickly reach the break-even level, the cost of the drink in the first stages of work will be 50 rubles.
How long will it take for the project to pay for itself?
Given information about the cost required to launch a startup and the markup, we can calculate the period of time required to break even. Selling an average of 100 cups of coffee daily, which in principle is quite realistic, in one month the profit from the business will be 59,980 rubles, and in a year of operation the business will bring 719,760 rubles. Thus, a coffee shop on wheels, the advice of the business plan has been tested in practice, will allow you to fully return the invested funds in 1 year and 5 months.
Key challenges for the future
Once you open one mobile coffee shop, you shouldn’t stop there. You should set goals for the future that will allow you to develop and scale your business. With the right approach to business management, you can even create an entire coffee chain.
The main tasks are:
- Setting up work.
- Search for good suppliers offering low prices for raw materials and high-quality logistics.
- Hiring staff.
- Increase in sales.
- Reaching break-even level.
- Marketing market research to study potential competitors and consumer preferences.
- Gaining work experience.
- Searching for potential investors in order to attract funds for further development.
You can add to this list with your own tasks and goals that you want to achieve.
Potential Risks
Any type of business is associated with certain risks.
As for opening a mobile coffee shop, they are as follows:
- seasonal sales declines;
- rise in price of raw materials and finished products, as a result of which the demand for coffee may fall;
- equipment failure or vehicle breakdown;
- intrigues of competitors;
- decrease in sales due to low qualifications of hired workers.
Despite the fact that the listed risks seem significant, any problem can be solved, which allows the owner of a mobile coffee shop to independently control the risks.
As it turns out, a coffee shop on wheels is a great business idea. In order for your profit to grow every month, you need to correctly draw up a business plan, calculate all expenses, and, most importantly, not give up in the event of the first failures. Don’t be afraid to take risks, because without trying to open your own business, you will never know about all its intricacies.
The first mobile coffee shops appeared in European countries. Today, this business model has been adopted by many domestic entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, this business idea is difficult to implement in individual regions. The main advantage of this direction is that there is no need to have large capital in order to start your own business. Below we propose to discuss the business plan for a mobile coffee shop and consider the key features of this project.
Coffee is the most famous and coveted product in the world.Mobile cafe: relevance and demand for business
To begin with, it should be noted that coffee belongs to the category of products for which the demand does not depend on seasonality or the state of the domestic economy. But there are still several important factors that can affect the sales volume of this drink. In order to better understand the nature of demand for a particular product, it is necessary to study all its characteristics.
Hot coffee can help keep you warm in cold weather, energize you, and increase your concentration levels.
Not every person in the modern world has free time to brew themselves a cup of aromatic drink. Also, many people cannot visit a classic coffee shop to drink a cup of coffee before work. It is at these moments that the demand for mobile coffee shop services increases. The main advantage of this business is the low cost of products and the wide selection of drinks. The low price for the offered product is explained by the low cost of maintaining a “food truck” in comparison with a stationary outlet. Due to the fact that coffee is prepared in just a few minutes, the buyer practically does not waste his time waiting for the order to be ready.
It should be noted here that the use of instant coffee in a coffee shop on wheels is unacceptable. In order to develop a good reputation, you will need to carefully control the quality of products sold. You can only achieve good reviews from customers by using high-quality coffee beans when preparing the drink. The aroma of such a drink can attract ordinary people passing by. The taste characteristics of the final product depend on the quality of the coffee machine.. This factor must be taken into account when preparing to open a business. It is also very important to choose the right location for the van.
One of the main advantages of this direction is the low barrier to entry into business. Entrepreneurs who do not have the start-up capital to purchase their own van may want to consider purchasing a franchise or renting a food truck. Another advantage is the mobility of the “establishment”. The owner of such a business can independently choose a specific location to place the van. If there is no large client flow, you can easily move to another part of the city. This factor allows you to minimize the risk of business loss due to the wrong choice of location.
Among the advantages of this project, we should note the complete autonomy of the mobile coffee shop. The food truck does not need to be connected to utilities or an electrical line. As a rule, such vans are powered by batteries and gas cylinders. To reduce the risk of shutdown due to an uncharged battery, it is necessary to purchase an additional gasoline-powered generator.
The relevance of this business is explained by the high rate of return on investment. With a competent approach to the work process, the invested money is returned after six months. When making forecasts, it is necessary to take into account the quality of the raw material base and the amount of traffic in selected points of the city. Also, an entrepreneur who is disappointed in this idea can easily sell his van, which will allow him to recoup most of the investment.
To wake up and get enough strength for the whole day, many people prefer to buy an invigorating drink on the way to work. History of mobile coffee shops
The original concept of mobile coffee shops was developed over twenty-five years ago in North America. A little later, this business format migrated to European countries. According to marketers, the idea of the English brand “BikeCaffe” was the most successful. What made this project unique was that it used tricycles instead of a standard van. The average sales volume of such mobile retail outlets was more than five hundred cups of drink in one day.
Much later, this business appeared in Germany and Ukraine. Kyiv is considered the pioneer of this direction among the capitals of the CIS countries. Today, in almost every Russian city you can see small vans selling aromatic drinks. However, according to experts, this niche is filled by less than fifty percent. This factor is explained by the harsh climatic conditions in our country.
How to open such a business
Your own mobile coffee shop on wheels can be a successful platform for entering a large business. Today there are several different methods for implementing such a project:
- The first option is to purchase a ready-made franchise from a well-promoted brand.. This approach allows us to reduce the risk of various difficulties that entrepreneurs who want to independently master this segment will encounter. The main disadvantage of this option is the high cost of the franchise itself. Its starting price can vary from five hundred to two million rubles, depending on the region and the brand that owns the franchise rights. It is also necessary to take into account that in addition to the entrance fee, an entrepreneur working under this scheme will have to transfer a portion of his income to the franchisor on a monthly basis.
- The second option for implementing this project is to rent a ready-made van. According to experts, choosing this method can significantly reduce the costs associated with starting a business. However, in this case, it is necessary to take into account that you will need to spend a lot of effort so that the invested funds begin to pay off from the first days. The cost of a monthly rental of a fully equipped van varies from fifty to seventy-five thousand rubles. The last method to implement this idea is to open your own business. Below, we propose to consider the key features of this option.
Fast service and reasonable prices, plus good afternoon wishes and a smile are the key success factors for a coffee shop on wheels. Choosing a location to install a coffee shop
As we noted above, the location of a coffee shop on wheels is closely related to the overall level of profitability of a given project. When selecting one or more locations for placing a van, the following criteria must be taken into account:
- Traffic level.
- The level of interest of people passing by in purchasing an invigorating drink.
- Availability of small coffee shops or other competing establishments nearby.
Based on the above, we can conclude that in the case of this business, it is necessary to choose those city locations where there is a large flow of people. The best solution is to locate the coffee shop near metro stations, bus stops, central parks and large offices. In the case of a small number of clients, the entrepreneur can easily move to a new location. It should be noted here that experts in the field do not recommend moving too often. Otherwise, potential customers may not remember the location of the mobile coffee shop.
Required Permissions
In order to start his own business, an entrepreneur needs to register his activities with the control authorities. At the first stage, you need to obtain the status of an individual entrepreneur by going through the appropriate procedure at the tax office. When filling out the registration form, the entrepreneur must indicate the selected types of economic activity. It is recommended to specify codes in this field that correspond to non-store retail sales. When choosing a tax regime, it is recommended to carefully study the possibility of using a simplified system.
The size of the package of documents depends on the choice of location of the retail outlet. When choosing a sidewalk for placing a van, you must obtain permission from the district administration. In the case of the side of the highway, you will need to contact the Highway Service. When filling out the permit application, you must indicate the exact location where you plan to place the van. A copy of the registration certificate and a work schedule must be attached to the completed application.
The next important step is obtaining permits from the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station. To do this, the entrepreneur needs to prepare a list of goods that will be sold using a mobile coffee shop. In addition, you will need sanitary books issued for each employee. All of the above must be accompanied by a certificate for the coffee machine and the van’s maintenance results.
From the point of view of starting your own business, opening a coffee shop is a great solution. Purchasing a coffee car
The choice of a vehicle for subsequent conversion into a coffee shop on wheels deserves special attention. Many experts in this field recommend that beginners choose European car brands such as Fiat, Citroen or Peugeot. The cost of such cars varies from seven hundred to nine hundred thousand rubles.
You can reduce the initial investment in opening a mobile coffee shop by purchasing a used vehicle. The final cost of the car depends on the mileage and its technical condition.
Equipment purchase
The next part of the initial cost item is equipment for a mobile coffee shop. First you need to purchase a coffee machine, which is the “heart” of this enterprise. The taste characteristics of the final product depend on the quality of the machine. This is why it is not recommended to buy cheap units. The cost of high-quality equipment varies from fifty to two hundred thousand rubles, depending on the set of functions and the manufacturer.
According to experts, when drawing up a financial model, it is necessary to take into account the costs of purchasing equipment. It should also be noted that some suppliers of raw materials provide young entrepreneurs with rental services for coffee machines. In addition to this device, you will need to purchase a refrigerated display case for storing drinks or ice cream, as well as an ice maker.
Required Products
Coffee beans are used as a raw material base, which are ground immediately after receiving an order. This approach allows the buyer to see for himself what raw materials are used to prepare the drink. According to statistics, the average sales volume of mobile coffee shops is about one hundred servings of hot drink. To prepare this number of servings, one kilogram of raw materials is enough. This means that an entrepreneur will need to purchase about thirty kilograms of coffee beans every month. In addition, you will need to purchase:
- Bottled water - thirty bottles, twenty liters in volume.
- Milk- ninety liter packs.
- Flavoring syrups- ten pieces.
- Sugar– 20 kilograms.
- Paper cups– 3,000 pieces.
The total monthly cost of purchasing raw materials and consumables will be about ten thousand rubles.
In public places, coffee on wheels is always in high demand, especially in gloomy weather and severe frosts Recruitment
This business involves working from eight in the morning to eight in the evening. This choice allows you to reach potential customers traveling to and returning from work. In order to work in this mode, you will need to hire two employees.
It is best to hire experienced baristas who know the characteristics of each type of coffee bean. The total salary fund should be about fifty thousand rubles. Vendors' responsibilities include preparing and selling drinks.
Initial investments and payback periods
In order to correctly calculate the payback period of a business, it is necessary to take into account many different factors. To enter this business, an amount of half a million rubles is enough. These funds are enough to purchase a used van and a quality coffee machine. The remaining money should be spent on legalizing the project, purchasing raw materials and paying employees. It is also necessary to take into account that transport requires regular maintenance.
The average cost of one serving of coffee is about sixty rubles. If you have one hundred clients a day, the monthly profit will be about one hundred and eighty thousand. From this amount you must subtract all monthly expenses (about one hundred thousand). The remainder will be the entrepreneur's net income. From this example we can conclude that organizing such a business can bring in about a million rubles in one year. In this case, the payback period for the investment will be exactly six months.
Potential Risks
The main risk in this business is the seasonal decline in sales volumes. You can cover growing losses with additional assortment. Using a mobile coffee shop, you can sell buns, natural juices and ice cream. It is also necessary to take into account the possible increase in the cost of raw materials. This problem can be solved by organizing a small warehouse for storing consumables.
One of the main risks of this business is a breakdown of the van or coffee machine. Timely technical inspections can significantly minimize this risk. To combat direct competitors, an entrepreneur needs to develop his own loyalty program and constantly work on the quality of customer service. Considering all of the above, we can conclude that a competent approach to the organizational process allows us to minimize the occurrence of losses.
During public celebrations, city celebrations and holidays, you need to actively move after people A mobile coffee shop on wheels brings high income due to the taste of the finished product. A customer who doesn't like the coffee he bought is unlikely to return a second time. This means that one of the important preparatory stages of organizing such a business is the selection of employees. In addition, you need to consider the quality of the unit used to make coffee.
Many experts recommend that beginners use passenger vans as a platform for creating a mobile coffee shop. However, in the case of this business, you can reduce costs by purchasing a minivan. The total volume of the offered assortment deserves special attention. It is very important that customers can choose not only one of several popular varieties of coffee, but also additional products. Buns, donuts and other desserts that complement this drink significantly increase business profitability.
Many people are used to starting the morning with a cup of coffee, but there is not always time to brew even an instant drink. And in this case, a coffee shop on wheels comes to the rescue, which is ready to offer a varied assortment of this drink for every taste. You can meet them on the way to work and even near your home. Their main advantage is their compactness and mobility, thanks to which they can move from place to place to increase the flow of customers. You will learn about how a coffee machine on wheels works, the principle of its operation and organization of activities in this article.
Advantages of this business
- There is no need to rent or buy a premises, decorate it in the appropriate theme and hire additional staff (waiter, barista, etc.).
- A car can be moved from place to place.
- Minimum costs for organizing work (purchase or rental of all necessary equipment, payment for gasoline and technical inspection of vehicles).
- Quick payback, as we offer a product of high consumer demand.
- Availability for buyers. The car can be placed in any convenient place where there is a large flow of potential customers (be it a busy park or the entrance to a university).
Mobile coffee shop
What to remember when starting out
Coffee cars, despite their low costs and high profitability, have many pitfalls that need to be studied before getting down to business and investing start-up capital. It is recommended for a novice businessman to first work for several months in this field and study the market in detail. Thus, you can protect yourself and your money from many of the risks that await newcomers in this business. Such concerns are connected with high specificity, since coffee cars, in the literal sense of the word, have flooded the street drinks market (in one park, you can find 2-3 moving coffee shops).
Buying transport, how to choose a worthwhile offer
There are many options for purchasing a coffee machine on wheels. For example, you can take it new, used, or even rent a mobile coffee shop. Everything depends on the initial starting capital. But, whatever the purchase method, the first thing you need to do is check the functionality of all equipment. It is recommended to take the vehicle along with all the equipment for at least a day, paying a daily rental, and if everything works properly, then you can take it without hesitation. You also need to shop around and find a way to save money. Thus, you can buy a used coffee shop for several thousand dollars, while a new similar one will cost around 6 thousand dollars. In addition, there is the option of collecting everything you need yourself. That is, you buy a car and purchase additional equipment for it (this is done independently or with the help of a team of professionals). In any case, in terms of cost, this option will be something between a used and a new coffee shop.
Exploitation
It is also important to use the car correctly. As a rule, the working day at such a coffee shop lasts 12 hours, and it begins at 7 am, when there is a large flow of people going to work. Well, who would refuse aromatic coffee early in the morning? It is precisely because a mobile coffee machine operates for 12 hours or more that it is necessary to check the serviceability of the equipment before each shift and after its completion, since one faulty element can disrupt the entire shift. Which naturally leads to loss of potential profit and downtime during repair work, which may take even a single day.
Formula for success
Despite all the difficulties that a businessman faces when starting this kind of business, its profitability outweighs all difficulties. And in order to get more money, you need to find the perfect formula for success. In fact, it is the same for everyone and sounds like adequate pricing, which is what bribes customers, since no one will buy coffee at three prices when for the same price you can drink a cup of hot espresso in a specialized establishment. In addition, it is necessary to choose a team competently and responsibly. In order for the business to be popular, it is recommended to hire an experienced barista or specially train a person.
In any case, it is the acquired skills that help make truly tasty and unique coffee. Well, the last component of the success formula is tastes. You shouldn’t sell exclusively classic drinks; experiment with flavors and formats. For example, now coffee drinks with marshmallows, various syrups, which give the drink an interesting taste, and cold coffee, invigorating and at the same time refreshing in the hot summer, are very popular.
Profitability
If we are talking about profit, then it is worth talking about the profitability of this business, since this is the question that interests the majority.
You can completely recoup the money spent in 2-3 months of active work, since the daily profit from one mobile coffee shop can range from 10 to 20 thousand rubles. Naturally, the revenue received varies depending on the location of the car, the flow of customers and the sales season. The main advantage of coffee machines is their payback at any time of the year, since in the fall and winter people buy this drink in order to warm up while walking, and in the spring and summer in order to cheer up and continue their walk in a cheerful company. Thus, profit can always be made.
Paperwork
The most important thing to do before opening a coffee shop is to complete all the proper paperwork. So, What permits are needed for coffee on wheels in Russia:
- To purchase coffee, you must enter into a purchase/sale agreement.
- The barista working for you must have a health certificate, since he works with food.
- In addition, the car must have all the necessary documents (technical passport, purchase or lease agreement, etc.).
Business plan for a mobile coffee shop
The coffee on wheels business plan consists of several main points.
Where to stay
As mentioned above, in order to get maximum profit, you need to place a coffee shop on wheels in large places with crowds of people (parks, universities, offices, etc.). But, you should take into account the placement of competitors in the area you have chosen, since sometimes the concentration of such coffee shops can exceed 3, which negatively affects profits, since the client receives a considerable right to choose and a wide range of coffee. It is the competitors that must be taken into account when choosing a location for dislocation.
How to beat your competitors
If there are still other Coffee on Wheels coffee shops at your chosen location, then the first thing you need to do is overcome them, attracting most of the customer flow. This is quite simple to do - adequate pricing for the goods offered, a variety of products (various types of coffee and types of tea), as well as additional services (for example, you can sell various sweets to accompany the purchased coffee or tea at a reduced price, the most popular are buns and pretzels, which It’s convenient to eat on the go, and besides, it’s quite a filling treat).
Distribution of starting capital
So, what will the initial start-up capital go towards? First of all, you need to purchase or rent a car, on which all the equipment for the coffee shop on wheels will be located. Also, don’t forget about additional little things: cups of different sizes, wooden spoons for stirring sugar, napkins and the packaged sugar itself. Let's write down the average estimate. A car will cost approximately 400 thousand rubles (if you buy a new one), 250 thousand rubles (you will need to pay to buy a used car) and 2-7 thousand rubles if you rent a mobile coffee shop (in addition, for the same cost, you can register a leasing agreement, which implies the further purchase of a vehicle after full payment of its cost). Equipment for a car (including all the necessary equipment: a coffee machine, a tank or boiler for storing water, a refrigerator, containers, etc.) will cost 400 thousand rubles if purchased in full.
If you sign up for rent or leasing, you will need to pay approximately 10-15 thousand rubles per month. And finally, the necessary supplies will cost 10 thousand rubles.
Subsequent costs
But the cost of a mobile coffee shop on wheels does not end with just purchasing everything you need, since you will need to fork out for all sorts of ongoing expenses. Vehicle inspection and repair work will cost 20 thousand rubles, and refueling with gasoline for a month will cost 10 thousand. Salary per month – 20-27 thousand rubles. Rent a garage to keep your car safe – 3-5 thousand rubles per month. Well, and other little things (purchase of water and other consumables) - 7-10 thousand rubles per month.
Marketing and advertising campaign
In order to attract as many customers as possible to coffee in the car and gain popularity among coffee lovers, the estimate of various costs should include the creation of your own business card website and advertising on social networks (VKontakte and Instagram are best for this). In addition, do not forget about outdoor advertising, which mainly consists of original, individual, and most importantly, branded design of a car with coffee. You need to make your own logo with a unique name, which, after printing, can be placed on the car. The production of such an advertising item will cost from 3 to 4 thousand rubles. Regarding the site, in this case you will have to spend a little more. The development itself will cost the same 3-4 thousand, but purchasing a domain and constant technical support will cost another one and a half thousand. On the website you need to post general information about your business, tell your advantages over your competitors and be sure to indicate a menu with current prices. And finally, a blog on social networks. Having created your own group on VK or a page on Instagram, you can post photos of the coffee your barista makes and talk about new products (new varieties of coffee, additional sweets, etc.).
That's the whole business plan for a coffee shop on wheels.
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