Constructing a mobile coffee vehicle

rodneyr

Hi all,
I am just about to start setting up a mobile coffee vehicle. The unit I'm working with is an 1800 x 1800 aluminum canopy fitted to my Nissan 4x4. The overall space is limited to what can be placed internally.

After reading up on equipment to use can people advise if I am looking at the right things?

Fracino Contempo Duel Fuel Gas Coffee Machine
Mazzer Super Jolly Grinder
70ltr fridge
45ltr engel fridge 12v/240 (extra storage)
85ltr stainless steel water tank
Generator 3.25Kva
2 x 165v batteries
1000w inverter
4.5kg gas bottle.

I still have to find a wash sink and other pumps and tap set. Again any advise will be gratefully accepted.

Rodney

askthecoffeeguy

Hi Rodney Sounds like a great setup - I've been working on the Fracino machine recently and they're a great machine But they do run super hot with the gas boiler and you can't stack anything on top of the machine except ceramic cups, when the gas flame is on, things like paper cups and plastic lids melt under the kind of heat that comes off the machine Also depends on where you are setting up because the amount of heat coming off the machine needs to me well ventilated, with fan exhaust etc and you're going to want to have a dedicated fan pointing at you're head to keep you cool Anything over outside temperatures of 30C is too hot to run with gas fired machine in my experience as it's too hard to vent the heat off from a contained space Also the blades on the super jolly are not huge, so you're looking at about 7 seconds to dose one coffee, which might not sound like much, but it adds up when you're busy Small blades tend to wear out and need replacing more.often too, so for my money I'd be looking at the next size up either a major something similar Plus are you talking about the electronic or the manual dosing version, coz.if it's manual dosing you're going to end up with a great deal of coffee wastage when you're busy - so. I recommend the electronic version for greater speed and efficiency Plus gas is not a deal breaker in my opinion as you still need electricity to run the control panel, and for the price you pay for a gas machine there are a lot of other options including second hand on the market which so long as the equipment has been well maintained offer excellent value for money Still the Fracino machine is about 80 per cent more energy efficient than pure electric so that's definitely worth thinking about Plus you can potentially silverchef new equipment and replace it every 12 months which reduces the cash burden on your business whilst eliminating the need for major services and reducing potential breakdown of equipment as well Just some food for thought and good luck with your venture! Best, Patrick

mycuppa

Greetings Rodney The Mazzer Super Jolly is way under-sized for your venture - too slow. It's literally a low-usage decaf grinder and suitable only for making a cup at a time - the Super Jolly is more suited to the home and not the where you have customers lined up waiting for beverages. It will also overheat (the unit and the ground coffee) after 20 mins of flat out usage. Get yourself a Robur Electronic as you won't have the luxury of time. Depending upon obvious space constraints, many mobile operators also install small separate boilers/steamers specifically to handle peak workloads for tea and long blacks to preserve the thermal stability of the espresso machine. These are really for events involving larger numbers of patrons and the likelihood of operating flat out for 4 - 6 hours at a time (which depending upon how many other vendors are present, is a real possibility). If you are limiting yourself to just runs and smaller gatherings, you don't need to think about peak performance and running out of steam pressure. Also, please ensure you check with your local council EHO in relation to permits and any other requirements. good luck

rodneyr

Hi Patrick & mycuppa, thanks for the advise. I have been reading a lot of information about coffee machines and the power they use. This was the reason for heading down the line of a fracino. (Pricey) Can either of you recommend an equivalent in a standard machine (power) that would suit a mobile van. Also thanks for the heads up on the grinder. Will look at the right electronic. I see you mentioned the council permits. What is normally required to obtain one. I have been looking at the street trader website but l think l have been getting ahead of myself. Thanks again for your assistance. Rodney

askthecoffeeguy

Hey Rodney I would speak to your local council re permits and indeed any council where you intend setting up shop because as I understand it you need approval from each councilunles you're setting up shop on private property You can also drop your search criteria into the following government website portal and they will tell you all the compliance details you need to know for your business : https://ablis.business.gov.au Coffee machines are a tricky business it all comes down to individual needs and preferences so I suggest that you do your own research but if its economy that you're after it's hard to go past a gas fired machine Also you need to be pretty machine savvy if buying second hand and know the service history of the machine in addition to having it looked over by a qualified machine service technician Someones  it's just easier to start new with a clean slate so it's up to you really but if you haven't done so already I suggest that you take a look at a coffee machine showroom to get a feel for what's out there I bought a kees van der Westen from crown coffee in Melbourne and it was  great machine at a great price but to each their own! Best Pat

askthecoffeeguy

just bought a la rocca expres single group coffee machine with a whopping 5lt boiler that I'm going to be using for smaller catering jobs and I'm in the process of custom building a flat pack coffee cart purpose built to house the coffee machine and my Mazzer grinder - been doing a few coffee catering jobs recently and it's time to go next level in terms of portability and presentation whilst still being able to run on a ten amp setup!