Introduction
We have recently had the chance to work with Rachel at Blue Palm Coffee and helped turn her dreams of bringing Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee to the streets of Dundee in a stunning Airstream coffee trailer.
The Challenge
Rachel found the Big Coffee after a Google search; we arranged a teams’ call whilst she was still living in Jamaica. We listened to what Rachel was trying to achieve and knew that we could match their passion and vision. It was their dream to offer the world-famous Blue Mountain coffee to customers in the UK, from a coffee van or trailer.
Rachel and her family intended to move back to the UK, so hitting key lead times was an important aspect of this build – we set to work!
Read more about Rachels inspirational story.
“It was spring last year that the idea started to come together – when we were in New York.
“I was inspired to start this business because I could not get a decent coffee anywhere apart from Starbucks. And there were so many street traders there and none of them sold coffee!
We were in the “Starbucks Reserve” in the Empire State Building; they have coffees from all over the world. Blue mountain coffee was $18 a cup. (I didn’t buy it…..)
We also spent a lot of time searching the many food trucks there looking for decent coffee… it wasn’t possible.
When I got home to Kingston Jamaica and went to the amazing Blue Mountain Coffee shop there, I realised that when I returned home to live in the UK, I would not be able to drink that coffee anymore … and then then the idea was born.
Whilst still living in Jamaica I realised we had access to the best coffee in the world for a fraction of the price most people would have to pay, the idea was turning into reality.
Our intentions for the business are to bring pure Blue Mountain coffee to the UK. So far there is nobody selling that. People sell some coffee blended with Blue Mountain, but it’s not pure.
The coffee has two thirds less caffeine, causes no cardiac effects or headaches. It is alkaline not acid, there is no after taste with it, and it is the best tasting coffee you could ever have.
While we have been on this journey, we have met coffee farmers in Jamaica who expressed to us their frustrations about the treatment of Blue Mountain as an exclusive luxury brand that sells for a premium price outside of Jamaica. This results in less opportunities for them to sell their product.
We have hopefully found a way to buy the beans at a fair price so we can sell the coffee to people in the UK at an affordable price.
The Solution
We talked about the several different suggestions for the type of vehicle and trailer – from the Piaggio Ape Classic to our small and easy to use coffee pod, but Rachel wanted something spectacular whilst trading her mobile coffee trailer, so the Airstream trailer was the obvious choice. This option gives you room to grow into your mobile coffee business and gives you opportunities to expand, with additional space for equipment and staff at busy events. It has an impressive 4 metre internal working space, with stainless steel counters offering an extensive working area.
In Rachels Words
“The positives of going mobile would be the ability to try different areas if need be.
The less onerous over-heads and business rates.
In the past, I had permanent premises, the rent, the heating bills etc. . The risk is higher.”
The Implementation
The project followed our streamlined customer journey; after a series of teams’ calls, we agreed on the specification and cost of the Airstream coffee trailer and a deposit secured the order. We set a lead time of 14 weeks for the build and fabrication of the bespoke catering trailer. Within the lead-time there were several key milestones to hit which included the IVA test and a local DVLA test station, fitting of all coffee machine equipment – which had to be tested for both gas and electrics. Graphics were also really important to the overall look and feel of this trailer. It was designed to be noticed and the impact of the vinyl wrap was magnificent.
There was a collaborative approach to the final look between our designer and Rachel, to agree the final design; several iterations of the wrap were bounced around before this was settled on. We hit the lead time and the final part of the jigsaw was the customer handover, with a full and comprehensive day of training and getting to know how this stunning street food trailer works. The training was further backed up with videos explaining everything we covered on the day.
The Results
Rachel will start trading in Dundee in March, and they hope to order their next trailer later this year.
Conclusion
“We couldn’t believe how amazing our Blue Palm coffee airstream had turned out. Everything about it was well made and the design was striking. We felt very emotional – and elated – to see it finally complete.
Ollie and I really enjoyed our time at The Big coffee training day. Clare, Rob and Russ made us feel really welcome and we left there feeling well and truly part of The Big Coffee family.”
Get in touch to talk about your business needs.
