Business Idea

Start A Coffee Cart

About

Starting a coffee cart requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell coffee, or selling coffee online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Key stats

market size

$437B

starting costs

$24.5K

gross margin

43%

time to build

9 months

About

Starting a coffee cart requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell coffee, or selling coffee online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Key stats

market size

$437B

starting costs

$24.5K

gross margin

43%

time to build

9 months

Startup Costs

	Min Startup Costs	Max Startup Costs
Equipment & Supply Expenses	$550	$6,500
Retail Business Expenses	$0	$16,150
Inventory Expenses	$350	$14,750
Advertising & Marketing Costs	$75	$9,636
Software Expenses	$0	$425
Website Costs	$17	$275
Other Expenses	$0	$300
Total Startup Costs	$992	$48,036

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Successful Businesses

	Business	URL	Rank
	Prima Coffee	prima-coffee.com	#124,180
	RISE Brewing Co.	risebrewingco.com	#205,402
	Espresso Parts	espressoparts.com	#238,763
	Bluestone Lane	bluestonelane.com	#376,034
	Crosley Furniture	crosleyfurniture.com	#419,042
	Madcap Coffee	madcapcoffee.com	#441,092
	Home	urthcaffe.com	#443,323
	Quest Outdoors	questoutdoors.com	#459,483
	Heine Brothers' Coffee	heinebroscoffee.com	#506,809
	Commonwealth Joe Coffee Roasters	commonwealthjoe.com	#673,562
	Coffee Machine Warehouse	coffeemachinedepotusa.com	#750,809

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Pros & Cons

Pros	Description
Rewarding work	Starting a coffee cart can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.
Meaningful business connections	You never know who you will meet as a coffee cart. This could be the start of an incredible business opportunity!
Daily physical activity	Coffee Cart's typically involve a much greater degree of movement than other lines of work. Most days, you will spend your day walking, running errands for your business, and performing a multitude of tasks. This can have a positive impact on energy levels and your overall health.
Amazing perks and discounts	Working in the coffee cart comes with its perks! As a seller for these products/services, you typically also get to enjoy industry perks and discounts.
You are your own boss!	With starting a coffee cart, you are the one to make decisions for almost all of the operations. Calling the shots can be empowering and liberating!
Local Community	One of the best parts of starting a coffee cart is that you can develop a local following by selling your products at craft shows, farmers' markets, or even local storefront businesses! This gives you access to additional revenue streams and loyal customers.

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Cons	Description
Crowded Space	Competition is high when it comes to your coffee cart, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies.
Finding The Right Supplier	Most businesses in this space go the supplier/manufacturer route, which isn't a bad thing! However, finding the right supplier can take a lot of time, energy and trial/error. If done properly, this process can save you months (if not years) of time and energy. More on this below in the "finding a supplier" section.
Motivation of employees	If you plan to have a sales/content team on board, finding creative ways to motivate them can be a challenge. It's important that you're able to offer great incentives and a good work environment for your employees.
Low margins	The gross margins for your coffee cart are typically around 43%, which can make it more challenging to incur new expenses and maintain profitability.
High employee turnover	In the coffee cart, employee turnover is often high, which can be quite costly and time consuming for your business. It's important to try and avoid this as much as possible by offering competitive pay, benefits, and a positive work environment.
Taxes	As a coffee cart, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it.

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