The success behind Cafe2U – the world’s largest mobile coffee franchise

Cafe2U ’s Lerida Grant speaks with Franchise Business on the number of things that make the Australian-owned mobile coffee franchise the success it is today, which includes providing the best coffee available even in hard to reach areas. 

“Our concept is all around the fact that we deliver fantastic espresso-based coffee drinks to non-traditional locations,” said Grant.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re in the park, or if you’re working in an industrial complex – you can still get an amazing coffee. That’s the secret of our success.”

The real secret to their success, explains Grant, is the way Cafe2U franchisors are focused on ensuring that every franchisee is prosperous from day one. The coffee franchise business model is all based around making sure each franchisee is supported throughout their business.

“We have something called the acceleration package, which is a two week program after training at the Cafe2U Academy, where our Franchise Development Manager accompanies the new franchisee, builds their business with them on a daily basis to make sure they’ve got the maximum run for their business,” said Grant.

“We’ve got an income guarantee, so we know that the business can sustain a minimum of $500 a day, which is $2,500 a week. And if they don’t get to that amount because they spend a lot of time sampling in the first few days, what we write them a cheque for the difference so we can prove to the franchisee that the business has a very good sustainable base and it’s up to them to grow it from there with our support.”

Many individuals hear of Cafe2U’s franchising opportunities through various mediums, from magazine advertising, digital methods and word of mouth. Grant also shares the company’s mantra, which is “vans sell vans”.

“In places like Sydney where we have the most amount of vans, we get the most amount of enquiries because people see them a lot more,” said Grant.

“But at the end of the day, we’ve got quite a long stringent process to make sure the person is really right for the business because there’s no point putting someone in a van if they’re not a people person, and at the end of the day that’s what we’re looking for – someone who is a people person and then we can teach them how to make great coffee.”

“A really successful franchisee is actually someone who just loves being with people. We actually say that when you join Cafe2U all you need to do is bring your smile and we can teach you how to do the rest.”

Cafe2U are continuing their legacy as the world’s largest mobile coffee franchise with many overseas potential franchisees expressing their interest in bringing the Australian business into their home country. 

“We are quite missionary in the way we think, we believe everyone in the world should have the ability to get a great coffee where ever they are and whatever time of the day,” said Grant.

“Our key focus at the moment is overseas expansion.”

Cafe2U is currently the world’s largest mobile coffee franchise with 173 mobile coffee franchises in Australia, almost 60 in the UK (including Scotland, Ireland and Wales) and another three in the USA.