Welcome to the world of coffee on wheels! Join us for a caffeinated coast around the globe.
BY TANYA NANETTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT
Featured photo courtesy of Yoshua Tanu
After physical stores and coffee trucks, another trend has taken over the specialty-coffee world: coffee carts. Coming in many different forms—from simple tables with wheels, to elaborate bicycle carts, to even more eccentric creations—coffee carts are now easily found at both public and private events: music festivals, weddings, and pretty much wherever there’s a desire to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee.
To celebrate the constantly expanding world of coffee carts, we’ve compiled a short list of our favorites.
Jago Coffee (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Jago Coffee is the brainchild of former Indonesian Barista Champion Yoshua Tanu. The Jakarta-based coffee fleet serves Indonesian-grown arabica from electronic bicycles converted into coffee carts, which ride the streets serving an array of coffee and tea beverages to customers all around the city.
By reducing the expenses that a classic coffee business faces (rent, expenses, etc.), Jago has been able to focus on its main objective: serving quality Indonesian coffee to locals. In a country where, regardless of the exciting local coffee production, instant coffee still dominates the market, Jago sends its “Jagoans,” or cart operators, throughout many local neighborhoods in an effort to make good coffee more accessible and convenient for the surrounding community.
Mikael Jasin, the current World Barista Champion and longtime friend of Yoshua, describes the benefits of coffee companies like Jago being mobile. “It’s pretty cool! Normally, cafés rely on foot traffic,” Mikael says, “whereas with (coffee carts), you can actually just cycle to your customers.”
Amor Fati Coffee (Hertfordshire, United Kingdom)
The specialty-coffee scene in the United Kingdom has been vibrant for many years, and it’s no wonder that the country is home to some delicious coffee carts, such as Amor Fati Coffee, created by James Draper as a culmination of his three passions: mental health, philosophy, and, of course, coffee.
James, a 21-year-old philosophy graduate from the University of Leeds, first started working as a barista after graduating college, and from there, fell in love with coffee culture. “With a passion for coffee, mental wellness, and philosophy, (along with) a desire to have my own business for years, I chose to start my own coffee business focusing on serving specialty coffees at private events and offering some philosophical insights,” James says. “The name ‘Amor Fati’ means ‘to love one’s destiny,’ and that’s the ethos we have in the business, as we try to promote open conversations and acceptance of whatever life has to offer.”
It‘s a new and clever way to bring good coffee (and perhaps a little peace of mind) to those who need it.
Punk Chick Barista (Verona, Italy)
Irene Grigoli, also known as “Punk Chick Barista,” shares that her coffee cart, which she runs in Verona, Italy, has been her way of sharing her love for specialty coffee in a place where, in her opinion, there‘s still ample room for the specialty-coffee world to grow.
“I have been working in the world of coffee for quite a few years. I lived seven years in England, and there, I discovered and studied the world of specialty coffee: running coffee shops and having my own mobile coffee shop,” Irene says. “Then, in 2023, I decided to come back to Verona to bring specialty coffee (to a place where) it is still little-known.”
”To do that, I built my own coffee cart—basically a mini ‘cafeteria’ that I take to public and private events. With an irreverent logo of a punk chicken (which I created), I select and use only high-quality coffee, offering menus with classic coffees but also more international options,” Irene continues. “It‘s my little revolution! I want to bring high-quality, traceable, and sustainable coffee to Verona (and beyond).”
Coffee on Wheels (Netherlands)
Operating in several cities through the Netherlands, including Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Coffee on Wheels is a service that connects anyone in need of a full coffee service for events or celebrations with 14 (and counting) experienced baristas and their fully equipped stations.
Once you‘ve planned your event, simply pick your city, choose your favorite from a range of regular coffee carts and friendly pickup trucks designed by Italian motor vehicle manufacturer Piaggio, and let the barista take care of the rest. Whatever your specific coffee needs are, rest assured you‘ll have the perfect service, where good coffee meets nostalgic, vintage vibes.
That Coffee Cart (Port Lincoln, Australia)
Slightly different from the other coffee carts on our list is That Coffee Cart: a small family business based in Port Lincoln, South Australia. Founding That Coffee Cart in 2018, the company’s founders had the idea to restore an old 1980s horse trailer and convert it into a mobile coffee station.
After designing, restoring, building, and updating the design several times to ensure maximum customer interaction and increased workflow, they now run a small business that builds and sells custom coffee carts and trailers to anyone ready to embrace the coffee cart life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tanya Nanetti (she/her) is a specialty-coffee barista, a traveler, and a dreamer. When she’s not behind the coffee machine (or visiting some hidden corner of the world), she’s busy writing for Coffee Insurrection, a website about specialty coffee that she’s creating along with her boyfriend.
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