Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005
Issue link: http://baristamagazine.epubxp.com/i/931664
WE'RE GLAD TO BE BACK after a short break! In the time since our last column in the October + November 2017 issue of Barista Magazine, we've been hard at work, continuing to build our service company here in Portland, Ore. We're so lucky to live in a city with such a vibrant and diverse coffee scene, and we're honored in the role that we get to play. We were super stoked to host a party for our whole local community in October in conjunction with Coffee Fest Portland. Our Black Rabbit Service Co. warehouse space was fi lled to the brim with coffee friends we've known for decades, as well as the newest kids on the block. If we can play a role in helping our already awesome community work cohesively for the good of specialty coffee in general, we're honored. It's inspiring to see more and more roasting collec- tives and smaller roasting companies pop up all over the country. The opportunity to roast in a shared space has completely changed what it means to be a small roaster. No longer do you need to have major invest- ment for expensive equipment, not to mention property that's outfi tted for roasting and up to code. Because of that, it feels like we're on the verge of a big shift on how coffee is roasted and sold in this country. It's creating new avenues and opportunities for people and businesses to grow. And it's even bigger than that: Not only have we noticed more small, independent roasters, but also an increase in everything from coffee brokers to service companies. We're excited to watch all these new compa- nies fi nd their way and see how some of the older ones adapt in this new coffee world. For now, while we all stay on that grind, let's get to answering some of your questions. I'm thinking about starting a mobile coffee cart to take to the farmers market. Do you have any experience with that? Any tips for setting up my cart? I could write a whole column on this. Operating a mo- bile coffee setup is a lot different than working behind a bar in a café. I like to think of it like camping, in that making dinner in your kitchen is a lot different than making dinner on an open fi re. Alex and I have built several carts of our own and helped consult on many mobile/semi-mobile cart proj- ects. My fi rst piece of advice would be, make sure your on-board power and water are adaptable to just about any situation. I would install a demand pump and accu- mulator to draw water out of tanks, but also plumb in a bypass just in case you're able to connect to city water. Also, make sure you have screens and water fi lters in ILLUSTRATION BY PHIL MARKEL 92 barista magazine