Going where
Starbucks can’t reach

The coffee-cart is a known concept - it was only a matter of time before the motorised coffee cart came along, and the most popular version now coming on to the road is the Italian-built Piaggio Ape. This kind of Ape is Italian for 'bee', and the name refers to the motor-scooters whose chassis were extended to provide the basis for these motorised carts.

The concept is still sufficiently new to turn customers' heads, but luckily for the café operator, there are now enough of them in the UK to ensure that experienced suppliers are now on hand - and a company enthusiastically pioneering the conversion of Piaggios into coffee-carts is Big Coffee, of East Yorkshire, which is already selling across the UK and Ireland.

One operator who has recently won attention by putting two Big Coffee Apes into operation is Tom McKechnie of Koffi in Newcastle.

"I saw Coffee Angels working like this in the financial district of Dublin, and thought 'bloody good idea!' I had worked with Marks and Spencer, and Caffe Revive had shown me what could be done with coffee - and what appealed to me about this was getting to places that Starbucks can't.

"We decided to aim at public transport, putting an Ape in position on busy commuter routes in Newcastle. What sold it to the bank manager was this - if you fall off the tightrope in one place, you just move your shop somewhere else!"

Big Coffee offers La Spaziale and Fracino machines, and Tom McKechnie opted for the Fracino dual-fuel option. "The gas is by an electronic ignition, and a quick flick turns it to electric, through a mains or a generator. We did a party for 400 people, and ran it off a 13amp plug."

The two main attributes of the Ape are the outside image, and the inside space efficiency. How does the inside work?

"The concept is that one door flips up, and the other drops down. You have something like a big steel bench running from front to back, and about a one-foot space underneath. Big Coffee have built in pull-out drawers, with enough stock for 300 coffees. Instead of a third drawer, we have a pull-out till. So, half the truck is sliding drawers, and behind them is the space for a 75-litre water tank.

"We didn't choose a fridge, because we don't think it's the best use of space - we use a very posh industrial cool-box, which will keep 60 pints of milk cold. The knock-out box is under the grinder, and the handwash is in a little side drawer with a tiny basin. Waste and rubbish is no problem, and although we use a small swing board, I have seen the lift-up back of the Ape used for menus."

Rob Dixon of Big Coffee discovered the Piaggio after five years of running his own café, when he started looking for a way to work outdoor events.

"When it comes to a quality vehicle that stands out from the crowd and does not command a huge storage area, options are limited. A visit to Italy provided our answer - these vehicles have it all and can provide fantastic income and complementary marketing to your current business and don't cost an arm and a leg."

It is the outside which gets public attention, and both Tom and Rob Dixon of Big Coffee agree that a big trick is making the most of the quirky look of the Ape - particularly when applying for trading permission.

"It's definitely worth showing councils a picture of your cart, so they don't assume you are talking about a catering trailer. When they see it, councils love it - they like them in city centre locations, particularly old-town areas, because it often complements the café culture they're trying to develop. And best of all, it doesn't look like something selling kebabs!"

Visit the Big Coffee website.

July-Sept