XPRESSO MOBILE

The same rules of customer demand that influence a bricks and mortar cafe apply equally to a coffee service on the move, says Jonathan Payne, who heads up Xpresso Mobile.

“Like any business, if we don't give our customers what they want, they will go elsewhere. It's as simple as that. It's critical we keep our finger on the 'pulse' to ensure we remain at the forefront of the mobile cafe industry.”

Typically a mobile business' turnover is 70 per cent coffee and related beverage products.

But staying relevant is not just about the coffee. Payne pinpoints environmentally sound cups and 'keep cups' as an emerging trend and coffee community narrative.

“We continue to work with our suppliers to ensure our carbon neutral cups are exactly that while still managing cost of goods for our amazing franchisees.”

And what of the customisation trend across the cafe scene?

“Personalisation is certainly a key part of our franchised offering,” says Payne. "While it may sound counter intuitive, by offering our franchisees the opportunity to put their 'own spin' on the food offerings in the business, they are able to support their local community by accessing foods at wholesale level with local family owned businesses rather than receiving sub standard, potentially higher priced food items through the franchisor.

“By forfeiting our ability to be middle man, franchisees are able to personalise their mobile cafe and adapt their food range to their specific customer base.”

Managing costs is a constant for every franchise chain but Payne identifies another challenge to brand expansion - finding the right franchisees.

As a responsible franchisor, Xpresso Mobile Cafe actively tries to recruit new franchisees with the ideal minimum debt/ equity ratio of 70/30, he says.

“To that end, we meet and talk with folks on a daily basis who would love to join the system but don't quite meet the minimum deposit benchmarks we expect. Many folks are asset rich but don't always have the access to cash and liquidity that allows them to chase their self employment dreams.”