You’ve decided to start a mobile coffee business. It’s time to know your beans about the best London markets for mobile coffee vans. Markets are a great place to test if a coffee business is right for you. You might have dreams of opening your own independent coffee shop one day and starting a mobile business can give you the capital to do this.
Souter Bros started with one small van at a market and quickly grew into the business we have today. So while the coffee business market might be tough, if you’ve got the right approach, it’s possible to see your coffee business dreams come true.
Here are our recommendations for the best London marketing for mobile coffee vans:
Farmer markets
Farmers markets are an easy starting point for a young mobile coffee business. Some of them take place monthly and others weekly. You can build up slowly and learn from your first few markets or go straight into a weekly spot.
You have 20 markets to choose from through the London Farmers Market. Some are very well established such as Chapel Market in Islington which dates back to the 1860s. You’ll find there is a bigger footfall on these more established markets but it may be harder to get a spot among the regulars who have been there for years.
Try heading to some of the smaller markets which are further out such as Walthamstow or Swiss Cottage.
We recommend going to visit them before applying to make sure the market matches your target audience and if there are any other coffee vendors already working there.
You’ll also find some smaller farmers markets dotted around the city such as Growing Communities in Stoke Newington, Chatsworth Road in Hackney or Blackheath Farmers Market.
Our best advice is to visit as many smaller farmers markets in the area where you live. See the kind of stalls there and how many people are visiting. While footfall is often weather-dependent, you can still get a sense of how popular a market is and whether it’s right for your first few coffee van outings.
We’ll share some more tips about what to expect for your first few markets later on.
Specialist markets and events
Farmers markets aren’t the only food and drink events taking place in London. You might also want to look at specialist markets and events. These may happen less frequently but can be a good place to test your set up and business idea.From craft and record fairs to vegan markets, London often has one-off specialist events and markets taking place.
Places like North London Makers Market have pop ups north of the river and Solo Craft Fair, who cover much of the city.
Watch out for local advertising of specialist fairs and events, then get in touch to see if they have catering spots available.
Famous London markets
When you start a mobile coffee van, some of the famous London markets are likely in your sights for trading. Markets such as Portobello Road, Greenwich, Spitalfields or Columbia Road are hugely popular with tourists, very profitable for businesses and have excellent footfall year round.
We recommend that you get experience of a few smaller markets first before applying for one of the bigger ones. This will allow to perfect your serving times, customer service and know how much stock you’ll likely need.
The more popular London markets may also have a waiting list (and a lot more competition), plus often demand a bigger fee.
They are worth doing but take the time to go and look at who else is serving coffee at these markets first.
Festivals
If you want to get into the festival space, then treat it the same as markets. Go to the smaller festivals first and get your service down to a tee. Festivals can involve a significant upfront cost so take this into consideration. However, once you’re on the festival circuit, you’ll find it easier to access more festivals.
With the bigger festivals, then may have trade deals as part of sponsorship. Don’t let this put you off applying. The UK has nearly 1,000 festivals taking place each year and many of these are smaller festivals which may have openings for catering.
If you do apply for festivals, remember that you may be expected to set up a couple of days before the festival begins and stay until the last camper has left. Build this into your time and costs.
Car boots and smaller markets
Don’t overlook car boot sales and smaller markets for your mobile coffee vans (likewise school and care home events). These smaller events can help you test your set up, get to know what your customers like and get feedback. You’re also less likely to have competition at the smaller events as many small coffee trucks will aim for the bigger markets.
Tips for applying and attending London markets
- Read the application instructions - every market and event is different. They have different application criteria for a spot. For the more popular spots, make sure you have everything the market organiser is asking for as you want to make their decision as easy as possible.
- Get photos of your set up - even if the application doesn’t ask for photos, it’s good to have them so that the organisers know you’re a professional and reliable business. It will give them a sense of whether you’ll fit in with the look and feel of their event.
- Do your research - go and visit the market before you apply. You want to make sure this is the right market for your business and that you will be the right trader for the market. You also want to look at whether there are other speciality coffee vendors already trading. Good markets will want a spread of business types. This helps them but it also helps you when you’re the only speciality coffee van available.
- Plan your budget - markets need an initial outlay for the cost of the pitch and the stock to sell. It is a risk and an investment. Make sure you know how much coffee you need to sell to break even and don’t forget to include your time.
- Don’t expect to make a profit straight away - the regulars may take time to get to know you and buy from you. Not every market will leave you with full pockets. Understand which markets work best for you and what good looks like.
- Stay until the end (even if its quiet) - if you want to come back to the market (even if you don’t) then you need to stay until the end, even if it’s quiet. You want to build a good reputation as a vendor, especially if you’re planning to do bigger markets and events. Being a good trader means staying until closing even if there aren’t many people there. Every market is a learning experience - even the ones that don’t go to plan.
Going to a London market with your mobile coffee van?
Give yourself the best start with speciality coffee. We offer wholesale prices to businesses of all shapes and sizes. Perfect for those starting out with their new mobile coffee van.Find out about our wholesale coffee here.