Mobile coffee shop in the woods

[climbinghobo]

Hello all,
I'm in the planning stage of opening a mobile coffee shop and of course my head is swamped with questions. There is one though that really bugs me right now:

I plan to go to remote camping spots with my coffee truck, where there is a good community of people but not heaps. Why would I go to a remote place with my business? because that's where I want to stay and I like the life style. So I know I won't get rich, I want to get by and support myself. I'll probably look for bigger venues once in a while...
My question is about power supply. I will need to generate power, probably with a generator. A big problem for me is noise; I really don't want to disturb any campers with generator noise. I also plan to run the business only a few hours a day, because sales will probably won't be enough to justify running the generator all day. So I don't know what to do about the fridge. Battery? solar power?

Any thoughts?
Many thanks.

 

[Mr Shave]

Climbinghobo-

A while back I was looking at getting a motortote and converting it into a home / mobile coffee unit. Plan would be cruise the US, hit up festivals, and climbing spots.

Here is my recommend list for what you are planning to do
Espresso machine - find something in the 3500-4000 watt range that is a major brand. Is they will have a larger service network with more access to parts
La Cimbali M29 Max. Power: 4200-5500 Watts, M31 Wattage: 2700 - 3600 W from ifyoulovecoffee.com , La Marzocco Linea 3600W (what I would rock)
Blender - optional
Brewer - Bunn or Fetco with lowest draw possible (as you mentioned, you won't be doing that high volume)
Fridge - find a propane powered fridge Servel propane refrigerator for example. Never dealt with
Cooler - get that large Igloo from Costco for ice. Don't pour ice into cooler, just open top of bag and scoop from there 120 Quart Polar
3 Floject water pumps (1 for sink, 1 for coffee, 1 for espresso) Just used filtered purified water and won't have to deal with water filters or filling tanks. Amazon.com: BW1000A Flojet Bottled Water Dispensing System: Home & Garden
Honda 6500 generator (they are crazy quiet) Rate continuos out of 5500. Might need an additional 2000 or 3000 w generator. http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/products/modeldetail.aspx?page=modeldetail&section=P2GG&modelname=EU6500i&modelid=EU6500IS

Food for thought

 

[climbinghobo]

Thank for the great reply!
Things you listed here are pricier than I thought... I saw the Honda generator is 60 db. saw other similar ones (cheaper) reach 72 db. How much louder is that?
How important is it for me to have a 2 group espresso machine? if I can manage with a smaller machine it'll save me on power and the machine would be cheaper.
Also, how come you didn't end up going for that idea? Do you think it's feasible?

 

[Mr Shave]

Thank for the great reply!Things you listed here are pricier than I thought... I saw the Honda generator is 60 db. saw other similar ones (cheaper) reach 72 db. How much louder is that?How important is it for me to have a 2 group espresso machine? if I can manage with a smaller machine it'll save me on power and the machine would be cheaper.Also, how come you didn't end up going for that idea? Do you think it's feasible?

Db is in magnitudes of ten, I think, similar to rictor scale. So yes, it is way louder. Said noise is important.and I wouldnt skip here.You could get away with a 2 group machine. It might be challenging when you go to busier places.Is it feasible? Yes. I didnt do it because I live in HI. To ship truck out and back would be $10k. Also, having that mortgage thing was in the consideration. Still on my mind and would like to.Last piece is getting permitz everywhere you go. My plan was to stay in each place for a little while and work in a busier town / do.events.then climb rest of thr time. Doing a cross county tour marketed right could get a.nice following.Finally, when I did trad I had a double rack of C4s with aliens all racked on Neutrinos. That is just my style, Ive said it before, buy nice or buy twice. I am also very particular with my car, truck, and most things I own keeping them cosmetically and mechanically like new. This was my "budget" list for how I would do it. Could do it for less and just alter the concept.

 

[climbinghobo]

Cool man, I respect that. I think it's something I need to learn, if you're thrifty on some thing you pay down the road, right? although sometimes you're just paying for brand names instead of better quality, that I try to avoid...
It's good to hear a positive opinion about the idea from someone that's already in the business. Now I only got to do it right...
I sent you a private message btw, did you get it?