Kaffeewagen Mira
“Pitch first, coffee second. I moved spots twice before it worked.”
MHMira Hoffmann · Kaffeewagen Mira · Since 2022
Numbers no longer verified
!Your budget is below the typical cost to start ($15.9k). Most survivors in this range bought second-hand equipment.
Based on 94 real coffee carts in Europe, including 42 that closed.
✓Your budget should cover this.
Bills run about $980 a month (fuel, insurance, rent, phone). Most owners make a profit after about 4 months. Keep this much aside to pay bills until then.
Permit from the town hall to trade in a public space.
Register with the local food authority.
Basic food safety course.
Register with your local trade office or chamber of commerce. Usually €50 to €400.
Free to about €10 a month. Keeps business money apart from yours.
Sets up your books and files your first tax return.
Before costs. Busiest May–September.
| Slow | Typical | Strong | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $1.5k | $2.7k | $4.9k |
| Year 3 | $4.1k | $6.5k | $10.5k |
| Year 5 | $5.1k | $8.5k | $14.1k |
Slow: 1 in 4 make less than this. Typical: half make more, half make less. Strong: 1 in 4 make more than this.
“Pitch first, coffee second. I moved spots twice before it worked.”
“The pitch at the station is the business. The cart is just a cart.”
$18.5k
about $45k
Starting costs about $26.5k less. Buying costs more, but you earn from the first month and skip the risky early years.