Bike Cafe, a business for all seasons

Bike Cafe is a result of bringing together two passions: bikes and coffee. The cafes are actually placed on specially adapted bicycles which can move freely in urban spaces. That mobility ensures that the business can be where the customers are, in other words where on a given day the heart of the city is beating.

The business that began arrived in Poland in Poznań 2012. Bike Cafe became a franchise in 2014 and has spread to several other Polish cities. Bike cafes can also be found in Finland, Switzerland, UK and Hungary. There are already over a hundred franchised units active.

There are three types of places the mobile unit can be located. The first is offering coffee on the go on busy streets. The second is at events such as conferences, festivals or markets. The third is in shopping centers, transport terminals or office blocks.

The logistics the company offers enable the Bike Cafe vehicles to be open for business for over 10 hours without the need for connection to power or water. The equipment works in silence in all climates, therefore it is an all year round rather than seasonal business.

The Bike Cafe franchise is expanding to the Baltic States as they are a market which is similar to that of Poland in terms of people’s spending power. The business and cafe culture are practically the same with growing awareness of quality coffee. And the regulations governing outdoor businesses are also fairly adjacent. It’s therefore a logical and convenient fit for the franchise to expand into. 

The company says it wants to secure a master franchise holder with several units and to concentrate on capital and other major cities as well as tourist resorts. In terms of the offer to potential franchisees the biggest selling point is flexibility. The franchisee has total control of both location and opening hours. The flexibility stretches to the way the franchise is structured in that there are no flat-rate fees. The franchisee pays a commission on the coffee sold therefore you pay as you earn rather than paying before you earn.

A key aspect of the business clearly is the actual equipment. A bike that is specially adapted and coffee making equipment that is easy to service and ensures that the franchisee has the capacity to sell a large number of coffees without being forced to connect to water or electricity. Equipment that has been thoroughly tested and fine tuned for the purpose. The beauty of the arrangement is that location can be changed so easily when needs be, therefore the business moves to where the clients are- in busy streets, shopping centers or at outdoor events.

There can be little doubt about the coffee market’s potential. Central and Eastern Europe is a market with a growing coffee culture. Below average per capita consumption and increasing interest in coffee in the region point to high untapped market potential. This means that further growth should be achievable through improved product offers in fresh coffee. The specific features of coffee as a product that is habit forming and a part of socializing seems tailor-made for a growth in retail sales now that the post-pandemic recovery is in full flow, although inflation and a slow-down in the rise of disposable income may serve as restraining factors. 

Franchise units

• 110 bikes
• 57 franchises
• 2817 events handled
• selling 4 million coffees per annum

Support for Franchise

• Bicycle with coffee maker and grinder plus shelter
• Monitoring system enabling geolocation staff supervision, online orders and statistical data generation
• Training for baristas and managers plus manuals for recipes and procedures
• Management support: recruitment, marketing,promotion
• Bike Cafe electronic  monitoring system with geolocator, online ordering, punctuality, product supplies
• Loyalty program
• Branded goods
• Webpage and social media support

Franchise requirements

• Vehicle can be  purchased or leased (leasing partners available as is financing through subscription financing)
• Commission on coffee supplied, no license fee
• City area with population over 40,000 or tourist resort