The Ground Up

[shawnv37]

Hello fellow coffee fanatics.
My wife and I have decided to open our own coffee shop and I'd like it to be as completely off the grid as possible. Solar panels, biodiesel generators....etc. Our biggest problem is water. This will be built from the ground up using recycled shipping containers. If there is any advice/comments or expertise on this subject I would greatly appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks.

I also just noticed the title of this would make a great coffee shop name. If it hasn't been used yet it should be.

 

[Mr Shave]

Will you be using well water? Buying water?

Main question: where are you going to open a cafe "business" that is off the grid?
Bonus $1,000 question: Are you going to have take out cups?

Sounds expensive, what kind of budget or backers do you have?

I have used water tanks for a mobile coffee truck and had 70 gallons of fresh. Depending on product mix, we would run out of water between $.9k and $1.2k in sales. The killer is really hand washing and dish water. I would suggest to talking with DOH what there requirements are and if you have to have a backup plan.

 

[John P]

As a food business, you need to have a running water system that is available at all times, you're still going to need proper filtration and water chemistry no matter what your source.

Going off the electrical grid may be feasible, but the rest sounds like it's not thought out and extremely gimmicky.Supporting sustainable farms and sustainable power is a good thing. Pandering is not. Focus on the product, bringing focus elsewhere makes it evident that product quality is secondary.

 

[Mr Shave]

Just saw this and thought you might want to check it out
how is research going?Starbucks Container Store, Tukwila | We Heart; Lifestyle & Design Magazine