Products for sale in traffic jam. Coffee in traffic jams

Alexander Kaptsov

Reading time: 7 minutes

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Not a single lover of this aromatic drink will refuse coffee in traffic jams, on the way to a business meeting, in a short period between current affairs and, moreover, at a very reasonable price. A mobile point of sale of coffee without seats can provide up to 20-25% profitability, provided that the initial investment is about 300,000 rubles.

Features of organizing a coffee selling point

The idea of ​​selling coffee to go is easy to understand. In essence, a retail outlet is being created that prepares natural coffee for customers in plastic cups with lids. This design allows you to drink coffee on the way to work or school.

Some entrepreneurs go further: taking advantage of the fact that car owners spend a significant amount of time in traffic jams in large cities, mobile coffee shops offer them a hot, aromatic drink to pass the time.

Due to such a variety of business options for selling coffee, several forms of its organization can be distinguished:

• Firstly , small coffee kiosks that are located in places with high traffic: near metro stations, bus stops, universities, offices.
• Secondly , stands in shopping and entertainment centers that allow customers to drink a glass of coffee without being distracted from shopping.
• And finally , mobile stalls that most often serve drivers in traffic jams or take part in mass events(festivals, concerts, etc.).

You can organize a coffee selling business yourself or take advantage of franchise opportunities. Its cost currently is about 200,000-500,000 rubles.

Nevertheless, such costs are completely justified, since the entrepreneur receives:

1. Ready stand design.
2. Proven promotion schemes.
3. Loyal audience of buyers.
4. Uninterrupted supply of products.
5. Unique recipe.
6. Training and consultations on business issues.

Important point: Organizing a business on your own will be costly in terms of time and effort, but more profitable in terms of financial resources.

Assortment of coffee outlets - what to offer customers?

Particular attention should be paid to the range of drinks offered by the outlet.

It can be divided into three large groups:

• Standard component – these are traditional varieties of coffee - espresso, macchiato, mocha, Americano, cappuccino, latte.
• Exotic component – coffee with syrups, toppings, additives.
• Additional component – tea, non-alcoholic cocktails.

The product range can also include small snacks in the form of cupcakes, muffins, cookies, donuts.

Important point: The coffee sales point purchases baked goods ready-made, since to prepare them yourself you will need a food production permit.

How to beat competitors - key business advantages

The main consumers for the coffee outlet are working citizens and students.

What benefits might make them choose to buy takeaway coffee instead of visiting a traditional coffee shop:

• Price . Since a coffee selling point does not have to bear the costs of renting premises and maintaining a staff of waiters, it can offer coffee to customers 15-20 rubles cheaper.
• Convenience of location . Customers do not have to waste time looking for a coffee shop - a coffee shop will serve them in any convenient place.
• Wide range and quality . In terms of the quality of coffee drinks and the possibilities of choice, a coffee sales point should not be inferior to the city’s coffee shops.
• Promotions and bonuses . Economies of scale work effectively in street coffee outlets. For example, when purchasing 4 cups of coffee, the 5th is provided free of charge, etc.

Important point: As one coffee sales point achieves profitability, another can be opened, thereby forming a network with a good reputation throughout the city.

Organizational issues – registration, equipment, personnel

Initially, the outlet may operate on a patent basis. To do this, she will have to register with the tax authorities as an individual entrepreneur. In the future, you can switch to a simplified taxation regime (STS). No additional business permits will be required.

If it is decided to organize the sale of coffee to go, then it is necessary to resolve the issue of rent. When creating a street kiosk, you will need to order its assembly from a specialized company.

Important point : If the coffee kiosk is organized on the street, you will have to take care of the electricity supply. Moreover, in this case, it will be necessary to obtain permits from the fire service.

Particular attention should be paid to the issue of purchasing equipment.

For a takeaway coffee shop you will need:

1. Trade counter.
2. Shelves and drawers for ingredients.
3. Coffee grinder and coffee brewing machine.
4. Refrigeration chamber.
5. Blender.
6. Bar equipment.
7. Stand for displaying menus.

Important point : If the coffee selling point is located on the street, then you will need to take care of installing an air conditioner and a heater (perhaps two in one).

Cups, straws, and napkins are purchased as consumables. It is best to immediately place the company’s logo on the cups: this will help it promote the brand and ensure an influx of customers in other parts of the city (when opening new points of sale).

The issue of personnel when creating an outlet for selling takeaway coffee is resolved quite simply: first you will need to hire two workers to service the kiosk in shifts. The salary of employees can be set fixed - about 20,000 rubles.

Purchasing ingredients - how to arrange supplies

To fully operate a coffee sales point, you will need to purchase a certain set of products, including:

• Coffee beans.
• Sugar.
• Cream.
• Syrups and additives.

Obviously, all of the products listed are not perishable, and therefore purchases can be made for future use. The only exception is cream, which can be replaced with dry analogues.

Important point: Uninterrupted supplies of bottled water from specialized companies should be established.

As for baked goods, in this case it is worth concluding a contract for the supply of products with specialized workshops that will supply the coffee sales point with buns, donuts and cookies every morning.

Promotion of a retail outlet - main directions

Promote new coffee shop can be done in quite traditional ways:

1. Conducting tastings.
2. Distributing leaflets and booklets in crowded places.
3. Activities on social networks.

In a high-traffic area closest to the coffee kiosk potential clients(in the foyer of a university or office, at a bus stop, etc., you can place a small sign with advertising.

Financial plan - income and expenses of a takeaway coffee shop

The main question that interests most entrepreneurs who want to create their own coffee stall is the financial benefit, payback, and profit that such a business guarantees.

First of all, you should consider the main cost items:

• Purchase of equipment – ​​150,000 rubles.
• Renting space or installing a kiosk – 30,000-50,000 rubles.
• Purchase of ingredients – 30,000-40,000 rubles.
• Staff salary is 40,000 rubles.
• Advertising – 10,000 rubles.
• Registration and taxes – 20,000 rubles.
• Other expenses – 10,000 rubles.

In this situation, the initial investment will be about 300,000-330,000 rubles.

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Entrepreneurs in many areas of business make money from drivers stuck in traffic jams - commercial radio, outdoor advertising, car services, etc. Entrepreneurs from Novosibirsk, Liliya and Mikhail Mikheich, have launched a new “traffic jam” business for their region - they offer hot bean coffee to drivers stuck on the road. The business started at the end of 2015, and by the summer of this year Lilia and Mikhail plan to become profitable. About the nuances of your mobile coffee business The Mikheich couple told Biz360.

Lilia and Mikhail Mikheich, Novosibirsk entrepreneurs, company owners "Empire of Taste", which specializes in mobile street beverage sales. Lilia graduated from the Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University with a degree in economics, worked in the field active sales. Mikhail is a well-known rap artist in Novosibirsk.

“There was no going back”

This is ours family business. When we decided to open our own business, we spent a long time choosing a niche - website creation, advertising, etc. Invest here, invest here - everything was superficial. One evening we got the idea of ​​selling coffee in traffic jams and quickly formed a company. We called the manufacturers of thermal backpacks and chose those who are closer to us in spirit, who are more positive.

We were excited that not only in Novosibirsk there is no such service, but also in other places; We go to a lot of places - for work, for leisure. The niche was not occupied, but we had an idea about its development. As we have seen, this is how it is being reproduced now. People are very accepting.

At the first stage, we immediately invested 400 thousand rubles. This is, firstly, equipment - thermal backpacks and thermal bags, then - rental of premises, consumables - cups, portioned sugar, napkins, spoons, chewing gum, etc. Our glasses have our own logo.

On December 22 last year we were given documents and we started. We spent two or three days looking for premises, bringing in racks for thermal equipment - backpacks are quite bulky and take up a lot of space. By the way, the racks cost 3-4 thousand rubles, we initially didn’t think about them at all. In general, we were faced with additional costs - at the initial stage we thought that 250 thousand would be enough for us - equipment and premises, and did not calculate anything else. Then, when the premises were rented, costs began to increase.

We had to wait, there was no turning back, especially since the main equipment was purchased immediately: ten thermal backpacks, three thermal spreaders. Thermal backpack - it is located on the back and it has a drive-hose through which liquid is supplied. And thermal space, on the contrary, is ahead of the person.

“At first people were shy”

At first people were shy; for them it was something new and incomprehensible. But then recognition appeared, regular customers appeared, reviews began to flow. Our coffee is not some kind of instant coffee, but freshly brewed, and we use a good brand, Paulig, Arabica variety. And we try to keep the brand. We have a contract with a kitchen company, they provide us with the finished product in the morning, we bring containers to them, they fill them. We charge the thermal equipment, seal it, and supervisors deliver it to the points.

Many people still think that coffee in a traffic jam is offered to them for free. And this despite the fact that each seller has a flag that says “Coffee - 100 rubles.” This is written on the handbag, on the thermal backpacks themselves, and on both sides. The driver stops and says “okay, let’s go!” In the first weeks this was our main problem. Now there is more or less recognition.

The sellers' uniform includes sleeves and a red cap with reflective elements. The most important task for our guys, and we tell them this in the morning: your job is not to sell coffee, but to still give a positive feeling to a person on a gloomy morning, to wish them a good day, good mood. We try to build our work on the positive. So that a person buys it, and he remembers that he not only drank coffee, but they also wished him Have a good day. Our service allows the driver not to get out of the car or look for where to park - this is an important factor.

“We don’t argue, we don’t swear, we don’t prove”

All our sellers have GoPro cameras, they are set up so that we see the hands of the seller, the way he serves coffee. The camera sits on the shoulder like a parrot. We review and see what errors occur, for example, so that the seller does not argue. We have three main rules: we don’t argue, we don’t swear, we don’t prove. If the driver starts to get into a discussion, the guys simply wish them a good day and move on.

There are already regular customers, they drive up, they have a 100 ruble bill ready. There are two, three. Many people ask about cashless payments, we are thinking about this topic. So that everything happens quickly, like in stores - there you don’t need a PIN code for up to 1000 rubles, you just swipe your card and it’s removed. You can set up a terminal for 100 rubles so that it doesn’t take up time from drivers.

We do not welcome sellers on federal highways, on central roads, where there is a lot of traffic - so as not to distract the attention of drivers and not to risk themselves. We work on narrow roads, where there are “long” traffic lights. We choose roadsides where there are two or three lanes of traffic, and where cars are delayed for a long time at traffic lights. We try not to disturb drivers.

We plan to become profitable closer to the summer. Now the rent, consumables and salaries of mobile salespeople are already paying off.

A glass of coffee costs 100 rubles; the coffee comes with sugar, cream and chewing gum. 30 rubles – remuneration for sellers, 12 rubles – consumables, 8 rubles – additional expenses. So it turns out that the cost of a glass of coffee is 50 rubles.

We will have several more projects in the summer. We will continue to sell coffee, but we also plan mobile sales refreshments near ponds and in parks. Our thermal backpacks maintain the set temperature for about four hours, so your drinks will be cold. Right now we are looking for suppliers of non-alcoholic mojitos, lemonades, and some iced fruit drinks.”

In the summer, we will have hot baked goods and hot corn in thermal deliveries. Our business is still more geared towards the summer, and it will be more comfortable for the kids to be outside in the summer. In winter, when it’s below minus 15, we naturally didn’t work because the guys were freezing.

Our business is specific, but at first glance everything is simple. Winter is cold, and now, for example, it’s spring – the roadsides are starting to melt, splashes are coming from the roads.

It seems that selling “coffee on wheels” is a great idea for a startup: the investment is small, and there is little complexity (everyone knows how to brew coffee). The Moscow chains Kofegliano and Coffee2Go were among the first in Russia to engage in this business. Both started in 2011 - just before the Moscow government almost completely banned non-stationary trading. Coffee2Go closed in 2014, but Kofegliano is alive and well and is waiting for relaxations in legislation to begin expansion - the necessary amendments may be adopted this year. Let's figure out how the coffee-to-go business works.

The owner of Kofegliano, Alexey Fedosov, came up with the idea of ​​mobile coffee shops in Odessa. The design of those cars was developed by Artemy Lebedev, and Fedosov was attracted by their bright “packaging”. He was just leaving construction business and quickly decided to open the first point, investing 800,000 rubles.

The founder of Coffe2Go, Vyacheslav Donin, was a second-year student in 2011, dreamed of his own business, and after scouring European forums, he realized: selling coffee from a minivan was what he needed. I took personal savings, borrowed a little more from relatives and collected one million rubles in initial investments. 700,000 of them went to the car.

Suitable cars became the first problem: they need to be converted for coffee points, and in Russia no one was doing this. Fedosov from Kofegliano entrusted the remodeling to craftsmen from Rostov (now the company has its own workshop), and Donin from Coffee2Go turned to the manufacturer of self-service food stalls Kupava, who developed the project and carried out the modernization.

“Whoever I talked to about re-equipping the car, even bikers,” Donin recalls. - Everyone said: “What did you come up with, boy?” - and they refused. At that time, no one had ever seen mobile coffee shops in Moscow.

Fedosov returned his investment in Cofegliano in six months, Donin recouped his investment in Coffee2Go in a year. He says it was possible to do it in 6-7 months, but he didn’t have enough experience. Who knows how the “coffee” chains of Alexey and Vyacheslav would have grown now if it weren’t for Moscow Government Resolution No. 26-PP “On the placement of non-stationary retail facilities,” which was adopted on February 3, 2011.

It mentions mobile trading, but does not specify the procedure for agreeing and obtaining places. Therefore, officials do not take risks and, even if they want to see a mobile coffee outlet in their area, they refuse. If you start illegally, the police will arrive in a maximum of half an hour and stop trading. Hence, there is high competition in places where sales are allowed,” explains Fedosov from Cofegliano.

And it is allowed on private territory, for example, on a university campus, in front of shopping center or near the skating rink. Also in some parks, fairs and festivals. Cofegliano does not participate in large commercial events like the Afisha Picnic due to the high rental rate. Although the owner often provides the place for free, and if not, then the maximum rate acceptable for Cofegliano is 2,000 rubles per day.

They don’t stand on city streets and squares, and therefore don’t communicate with the authorities.

We communicate more often with the owners of the territories. If we get up in the park, then either with the Moscow City Park or with the park management. In addition, there is an unspoken rule: whoever is first gets first place. In order to pacify intractable colleagues, they created the Association of Mobile Coffee Shops. When everyone is in one organization, it’s easier to come to an agreement,” adds Fedosov, who heads the association.

Donin sold Coffee2Go in 2014 - he did not wait for the authorities to adopt the necessary amendments. Now Vyacheslav has a digital agency and a vegan cafe, and he also advises those who want to make money street trading coffee. At first he dissuades him from this idea, but if he sees that the person’s eyes are burning, he helps.

- Maybe he did the right thing? Is the market growing?

Steadily. If previously the niche occupied 10% of revenue, now it is already more than 20%. The market has developed, guests have begun to buy it more, and we believe that drive-thru coffee shops do not create competition for us. On the contrary, they develop the market. We shape the market together. Anna Aranovskaya head of the marketing department of CoffeeShop Company.

- New sales formats are opening up. If earlier these were standard cafes and outlets in business centers, now they are showrooms with coffee. We had experience opening coffee outlets even in a network of private clinics. In 2016, according to our data, more than 50 new chain coffee shops opened. Anna Bolshakova, press secretary of Coffee and the city.

Cofegliano today has 10 branded cars selling in Moscow, Reutov and Khimki. Each outlet sells an average of 70 cups of coffee on a weekday and 200–250 on weekends and holidays. The net profit of one point is 250,000 rubles per year. The city does not affect the number of sales, says Fedosov: it’s all about good location. And in order to sell to the maximum, it is important to open very early - before stationary cafes nearby begin to operate. “This way you will make a check from people who go to work at a time when there is nowhere else to buy coffee,” explains Fedosov. Mobile coffee shops in parks stand all day, and in other cases may move from place to place - depending on traffic.

“Coffegliano” is temporarily not expanding, awaiting amendments to the trade law. They will allow coffee sellers to stand near the metro, in traffic jams, on pedestrian streets and other crowded places where the road is currently closed. According to Fedosov, trading near the metro and in traffic jams is the most profitable, but now it is illegal. And if so, for now Cofegliano only needs 10 cars.

The entrepreneur says that you can enter the business with an investment of 770,000 rubles:

600,000 is the cost of the car. A used van or minivan like a Renault Kangoo or Opel Combo will do.
100,000 - car re-equipment: electrical wiring and installation of a professional coffee machine. In winter, it will have to be warmed up regularly, otherwise the water inside will freeze and temporarily paralyze work.
60,000 - salary for barista drivers for the first month. Usually two people work in shifts, for example, two days after two. Finding employees is easy during student holidays, but at other times it is more difficult: few people want to work outside, especially in the cold. And you have to go to the toilet in a stationary cafe nearby or in a shopping center - not a pleasure for everyone.
10,000 - the first batch of coffee beans, bottled water, milk, sugar and disposable cups. Should be enough for a month.

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Traffic jams on Russian roads in large cities have become the talk of the town. Unfortunately, this problem is relevant in many countries around the world. When you sit in a traffic jam for a long time, late for an important meeting, and also angry and hungry, you just want to commit suicide... well, or have something to eat.

However, wherever people experience discomfort, there will certainly be a place for original idea entrepreneurship! took the liberty to think about it.

If traffic jams are a disgusting evil for road users, then for active entrepreneurs they are a wonderful opportunity to launch a promising and untrodden business (I have never seen anyone selling food to drivers in traffic jams).

An advanced entrepreneur perceives this slow movement as an inexhaustible huge flow of future clients. All you have to do is think about the needs of drivers and passengers caught in a long traffic jam, and find ways to meet these needs. Mutual benefit awaits everyone here: it will become easier for road users to endure waiting times along the way. Active entrepreneurs receive new source income for yourself.

Of course, the most cherished desire of drivers and passengers is to quickly get to the place where they planned to go. Naturally, you cannot solve this problem. But it is within your power to alleviate the sad fate of drivers by making the wait for traffic more comfortable.

A person is designed in such a way that he periodically wants to drink or eat. Prudent citizens take food and water with them on the road. But the majority of people don’t think about it. And often many drivers find themselves in a situation where it is difficult and long to get home, but they really want to eat and drink. It is in your power to alleviate this problem for them. Offer them drinks and ready-made food right in traffic!

Selling food in traffic jams

Put yourself in the driver's seat of a car for a moment: tired after working day, he dreams of getting home as quickly as possible. And he gets stuck in a long traffic jam. He wants to eat, drink, and rest. But he will get home only in a few hours

And then you appear - so fresh, friendly, and offer him a delicious, appetizing sandwich and a bottle of cool water. It is very likely that he will be very happy with you and will certainly buy the set of products you offer! Now look carefully: how many of these passengers and drivers are stuck in traffic jams every day?! This is a dimensionless audience of your future customers!

Business planning in traffic jams

You decide to do business in traffic jams. There are several options for making this money. You can start selling groceries in traffic jams yourself. If you prefer to manage while covering a larger number of clients, choose a reliable team. It is rational to invite pleasant, sociable young guys and pretty girls from whom drivers and passengers will be happy to buy food and drinks.

You should also consider the optimal package of products suitable for successful implementation in traffic jams. Products need to be packaged beautifully: sandwiches, chocolate bars, chips. Healthy food is also selling well - bananas, apples, yoghurts, various juices, iced tea, mineral water.

You can earn quite a lot of money by trading in traffic jams. After all, prices for drinks and food will be much higher than in stores. Much like in inexpensive roadside cafes. So, if the cost of a ruddy, juicy apple is 15 rubles, it can be successfully sold for 50 or 60 rubles.

Of course, a certain part of the funds will go to pay your sellers. But the volume of products sold will increase, thanks to the fact that sellers will make hundreds of successful sales to you per day. The profit received at the end of the month will pleasantly surprise you. A smart entrepreneur will certainly plan which products will be most requested by customers depending on the season.

In winter, hot coffee and tea are in demand. And in the summer, cold drinks and fresh fruit will be sold much faster. If you don’t know how to change the situation, try to make money from it! Good luck with your traffic jam business!

Attention, residents of big cities and suburbs! This one is quite suitable for you. We will bet on what every second resident of your city suffers from: we bet on traffic jams.

How tired everyone is of them already: it’s no joke, being stuck in a traffic jam for several hours a day, and so on every day! It’s just terrible, especially when you’re in a hurry to get to work, and you’d like to get home faster after work. But this is a pessimistic view, and we will try to become optimists and benefit from traffic jams. How? Very simple. We suggest using original business idea– delivering food to people stuck in traffic jams.

Read more about the idea - food for those stuck in traffic jams

This idea has a dual purpose: on the one hand, it helps people usefully spend time spent on forced downtime, and on the other hand, it provides an opportunity to earn money for those who are not too lazy to implement it.

A certain “spontaneous” analogue of this idea can be found on the borders at checkpoints.

There, local residents have long adapted to selling all sorts of food and cigarettes to bus passengers and motorists standing in lines.

No one asks them for permission to trade, the queues at the borders are long, there are buyers, they have a lot of time, waiting is not an easy task, so they trade.

So why not organize this kind of trade in big cities? But only legally, observing all the requirements of the law.

So, what is needed for this:

1. You need to find a room that would serve as a kitchen. It would be best if it were located in the city center or near the place where traffic jams most often occur (this may not be the city center).

As an option, a rental agreement for a dining room, cafe, or your own apartment may be suitable for starters. It is quite natural that the premises and its equipment must comply with all sanitary and epidemiological standards and must be officially registered.

2. Select personnel. Considering that you are not a restaurant of the highest markup category and are not going to prepare gourmet dishes that require high skill, you can easily get by with two or three students from specialized colleges.

For street trading and food delivery to point of sale You can hire students by offering them a flexible work schedule.

The main requirement for staff is communication skills and efficiency: after all, everything needs to be done before the traffic jam on the road clears up. It would be nice if the implementers knew how to roller skate. This way, the time it takes to move them from client to client and deliver food would be cut in half.

3. Don’t forget to buy disposable tableware, thermoses, packaging and, finally, the products themselves from which you will prepare your “fast food” - pies, whites, coffee, tea, etc.

Prepare even more business cards with the name of your “catering” and contact numbers. Let the sellers hand them over to customers along with pies and coffee, as they say, for information. And maybe someday you will need it again.

What effect can you expect from this business?

You can estimate the possible profit based on the fact that a cup of tea or coffee is sold at a price that is 10 times its cost. Other products, such as pies, are also sold with great profitability - 5 times more expensive than the cost of their production.

The volume of total daily revenue will depend on how well you chose the place for trading and how quickly your employees move.