The mobile coffee cart startup that’s proving to be a hit

A Swedish design firm is aiming to reinvent the business model of coffee franchises by utilising a pair of wheels.

Entitled ‘Wheely’s’, the brand is the brainchild the Nordic Society for Invention and Discovery and the concept of a network of mobile coffee franchises has been such a hit that their $20,000 fundraising target on IndieGoGo was reached in two weeks.

And if you are wondering where you have heard about NSID before, it could be because they are the brains behind the Fly Lamp (a hovering lamp) and the indoor cloud, the Nebula 12.

“We wanted to use what we learned from working with big brands,” said Per Cromwell to the Fast Coexist website.

“The idea is to use all the advantages of a franchise; branding, social media, pricing and product development, but in a much cheaper way.”

And with buyers on three continents, entrepreneurs and coffee lovers alike have all backed the idea to take off.

The premise is simple: a scaled down café is attached onto a bicycle which allows the operator to leisurely meander through the busy streets and recreational areas of towns and cities offering a selection of coffees, pastries and sandwiches to passer’s by, all under the brand umbrella of Wheely’s. But, as they are keen to point out, the mobile catering facility could potentially open up other avenues and revenue streams through working with third parties.

But can they challenge the big named brands and attract custom away from boutique, trendy and hip coffee houses? They think so: “We think we’ll challenge Starbucks more with a branded coffee instead of an unbranded one,” Cromwell admits before pointing out that over the past four decades global brands have really taken off. And whilst he “love[s]” independent coffee shops, he does point out that “belonging to a brand is an advantage.”

But not ones that are too big.

The business model is described as ‘open source’ – meaning that effectively once the bikes and equipment are paid for and received the purchaser can do with them as they wish – though they promote the advantages of working together in a network under the Wheely’s umbrella.

We will be keeping an eye out on city streets around us to see just how far this idea goes.

picture: Wheely’s (via Facebook)