FAQs

You really have three options:

• For a city centre location or public road, you will need to ask permission from the relevant Council. Often a street trading licence is required.
• For private land, all you will need is the landowner’s permission.
• For events and festivals, you will need to fill in an application from the event planning department. There is often a tendering process to follow.

Our customers regularly take between £750 and £3,000 per day at a good event. This can be increased by adding a food offer to your set up, such as gourmet burgers or breakfast sandwiches.

The Airstream-style conversion is the most popular street food trailer we sell. It can future-proof you for years to come, as the retro Airstream is built to last and can grow with your business. It has room inside for up to four members of staff and can be used as a high output street food kitchen.

Our most cost-effective mobile coffee unit is our coffee trike or deluxe hand cart with canopy, with prices ranging between £3,995 and £8,995, we have indoor and outdoor versions available. These small and powerful mobile coffee units can deliver 150 cups per hour.

The batteries we install on our conversions lasts for approximately five hours. However, this can vary depending on how busy you are when trading. We recommend always having a spare fully charged battery with you to ensure optimum trading time is covered.

Yes, all of our trailers and pods are taken for an IVA (Individual Approval) test with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). This then certifies and authorises use on all UK public roads.

Propane is used for dual fuel options. Please register with Calor of Flogas and you will be able to source gas bottles and refills.

Yes, we provide a fire blanket and extinguisher.

Yes, all operational training is provided here at our head office in Hull. We can also provide barista training as an addition if you are a beginner.

We have years of experience with converting vehicles and we’re confident about what we can do. If you’d like to enquire about a vehicle that’s not listed on this website, please call us on +44 (0) 1482 655020.

We are not a franchise. You will own the business and once you take the vehicle away, it’s yours with no ongoing monthly fees.

This depends on the vehicle. We can supply all the Piaggio vehicles featured on our site – the Ape Classic, Ape 50, Ape Classic Electric – as well as pods, Airstreams, retro vans, hand carts and trikes.

Any other vehicle featured on this website would need to be sourced and paid for by the customer, thus the price on the website is the starting cost for the vehicle conversion only. For example, if you want to convert a VW Caddy into a coffee van, you would bring the vehicle to us and we will convert it.

Yes, we offer great finance packages. Get in touch with us on +44 (0) 1482 655020 to find out more.

Yes, The Big Coffee is the only authorised importer for Piaggio commercial products in the UK. This means your Piaggio vehicle will come with a two-year UK warranty, which ensures you’re covered by a Piaggio warranty with genuine spare parts, not forgetting our award-winning Piaggio after sales service.

The lead time for a conversion is 4 to 16 weeks, depending on the type of conversion. Please get in touch though as we may be carrying a brand new or used stock vehicle that may suit what you need.

Yes we can, but the customer is responsible for paying the taxes, importation regulations and necessary documentation.

We have arranged imports to countries such as America, Canada and Antigua, to name a few!