Self-realisation on wheels with a self-built mobile coffee bar

With her self-built mobile coffee bar, Mareike has realised herself: with a sales trailer in the basic equipment, the integration of her own devices and the self-created foliation design, her mobile coffee bar has a very personal touch. Mareike has already been on the road with her “café deluchs” around Freiamt, in southwest Germany, for about two years. In this blog article, you will learn first-hand how Mareike’s spontaneous idea led to her self-realisation on wheels.

café deluchs – the coffee mobile for Freiamt and the surrounding area

Best Practice: How a spontaneous idea turned into a self-built mobile coffee bar

Mareike Zingel comes from the catering and event sector. The idea to start her own coffee business came to her during her last job at a conference while serving filter coffee. With this idea, she was immediately on fire – and so it didn’t take long for her to put the idea into practice.

Mareike, how did you come across BuddyStar?

After my spontaneous idea, I used this first impulse and quickly began the first research. First I went in search of used trailers. But here I did not find anything that met my ideas and wishes. So the search continued. After intensive research, I came across BuddyStar at some point: the good reviews immediately struck me as very positive. And since Freiamt was not far from the BuddyStar headquarters, I was already a few days later on the mat with you.

So the whole thing went quite quickly: I was in Emmendingen on the spot and pictured my bordeaux-colored Buddy in my mind. With this concrete idea, everything else went super fast: When I think that the idea came to me in winter and I already picked up my Buddy in spring… Crazy!

Until today I have not regretted this decision. I am very glad that I went this way. The trailer is simply always a highlight and eye-catcher.

What advantages do you see in operating a mobile sales trailer?

The biggest advantage for me is clearly the flexibility. Thanks to the mobility, I can decide for myself where I want to go and which events I want to attend. In addition, there is of course no rent or lease compared to a stationary café, which is a much lower financial burden.

You partly built your mobile coffee bar yourself. Which equipment features were therefore particularly important to you?

Yes, that’s right. It was more important to me to bring in my own ideas and give the trailer my personal and authentic touch than to procure a ready-made solution. After all, the whole project was to be created from scratch by myself.

What do you use the Buddy for or where can you be found everywhere with your Buddy?

In principle, my business is limited to serving all kinds of coffee variations. On request, I also offer pastries, which my sister always bakes for me very lovingly, fresh and seasonal. My offer ranges from classics like espresso and cappuccino to iced coffee in summer or spicy chai latte. Of course, I also offer vegan alternatives, like oat milk. You can tell by now that many people are turning to such alternatives and also want them. You just have to keep up with the times. In the future, I will certainly include one or the other in my assortment – here I am quite open in planning and gladly accept feedback or ideas from my clientele.

You can book me with my mobile coffee bar for various events, be it private weddings, birthdays or summer parties of companies. In addition, I can be found at fixed locations: So I am three times a year – at Easter, in autumn and at Christmas at the farm store of the Roser family in Freiamt and twice a year at the artists’ market in Emmendingen in use.

What do you need to sell coffee?

For the sale of coffee itself, you do not need too many utensils: a coffee machine with the possibility of frothing milk and a grinder for the coffee beans. For serving, I use only porcelain dishes. Coffee beans are of course also part of the resources – because without a bean, unfortunately, no coffee. Sugar and milk is of course also a must!

Otherwise, you can pimp your own offer individually – for example, by additionally offering ice cream, cakes or pastries.

How many customers do you have a day and how many cups of coffee do you serve on average?

Do you have any tips on how best to proceed on such stressful assignments?

Good preparation is the be-all and end-all. I’m already planning for this year’s artists’ market and I’m actually a bit nervous. But it’s not a bad thing if the line piles up. If someone is annoyed, the person just goes away. You shouldn’t worry about that at all.

In stressful situations, however, I can advise everyone not to lose focus. Concentrate on the person standing in front of you and on what needs to be done at that moment. In retrospect, you are also always very proud of the achievement you have made and you grow immensely from such experiences.

Why did you choose a trailer from BuddyStar?

In addition to the basic equipment and the eye-catching, round shape, the handling of the BuddyStar trailers convinced me: due to the compact size and easy handling, I can manage very well on my own and am not dependent on the help of others. I can assemble and disassemble independently, move the trailer well on my own and unhook it from the car.

Time is unfortunately a limited commodity: How do you balance your mobile business with your private life?

Fortunately, with the support of my family, I manage to fit everything in. Most of the private events or weddings I’m involved in also take place at the weekend. Here, my husband has my back. The limited duration of the events is also an advantage: Often, if it’s not an all-day trade show, they only go on for a few hours. With this short time frame and good planning and preparation, there is still enough time for leisure and family.

In the meantime, the procedure has become quite well established for me: I have packed my necessary utensils in boxes so that I have everything at hand and only have to load it into the car. This keeps the preparation work to a minimum and it virtually runs by itself.

How did the first deployment with your trailer go?

To be honest: everything went at the last minute. My first assignment was at the christening of a friend’s child, right in Freiamt. My trailer hadn’t even been wrapped with my logo yet, and we only installed the coffee machine two days beforehand – we couldn’t have done it any faster.

What experiences have you had with your buddy so far?

I have had consistently positive experiences in the past! Many of my customers even write to me after their event, such as their own wedding, that my Buddy was the highlight. This is really a great honor for me and makes me very happy. Especially since a wedding is also the day of days – everything has to run smoothly here. The challenge is different than at a market, and your own demands are not comparable.

The great thing is that the Buddy fits in everywhere: It fits everywhere and makes a good impression – whether in the middle of the city or in nature.

What goals are you pursuing with your trailer? What plans do you have for the future?

Let yourselves be surprised! There are of course many ideas and plans for the future, but nothing concrete is set in stone yet. My goals definitely include getting out more marketing-wise and expanding my website.

Have you had any concerns about current challenges, such as the energy crisis and recession, regarding your mobile business?

Actually, I haven’t felt any of that – which I’m very thankful for. I believe that coffee simply can’t be missing anywhere, and also that people tend to cut back on other things at celebrations for this reason. In addition, one would like to enjoy the day at such events and simply leave everything else behind – at least for this moment. So I’m happy to say that my business is still going well and I’m looking positively to the future!

In a moment, we’ll have reached the end. But there’s definitely one question I can’t miss: how did you come up with your name “café deluchs”?

This was – like the idea for my mobile coffee bar – a spontaneous idea: Basically, I had a “Black Forest animal” in my head for a long time, but did not know exactly how to implement it. Due to my place of residence in Freiamt, in the middle of the Black Forest, I wanted to create a reference. And with the contrast to my coffee beans from Costa Rica, I thought the connection with an animal was quite nice. After I had been thinking about it for weeks, one morning my husband came up with the idea of using the lynx in dialect – in other words, “deluchs”. I was immediately enthusiastic about this idea.

By the way, the lynx is said to have a pronounced alertness, which you also get if you drink a good strong coffee.

Finally, do you have any tips for other people who want to start a mobile coffee bar?

Absolutely – don’t skimp on the equipment, i.e. a good portafilter machine and high-quality grinder, as well as on the coffee beans. These should ideally be purchased from a roastery that offers gently roasted coffee beans and is fairly traded. You can taste the quality and the coffee is the heart of the whole. Therefore, if you have a limited budget, it’s better to save money elsewhere.

And then, of course, following my example: Just do it and don’t think too much. Of course, weighing such a decision is important, but spontaneous ideas, are known to often be the best.

Thank you very much for your time and the insights into your business, Mareike. We wish you continued success with your mobile business and look forward to the next intensive coffee experience with you.