Coffee Trailer FAQ's​​

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What is a coffee trailer?
A coffee trailer is a mobile café built inside a road-legal trailer with commercial plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, and espresso equipment. At Hudson Trailer Company we design and build coffee trailers that meet health department codes, optimize workflow for speed of service, and reflect your brand with premium finishes and signage.

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What is the advantage of opening a mobile coffee shop over a brick and mortar shop?

A mobile coffee trailer lets you start a mobile coffee business faster and for less than a brick and mortar cafe. Hudson Trailer Company designs and builds custom coffee trailers with CAD drawings, health department regulations in mind, and compliant plumbing and electrical. Our 14 foot and 17 foot coffee trailers can be equipped with a commercial espresso machine, grinders, refrigeration, and generator or shore power. Flexibility is the advantage: park at offices on weekdays, events and festivals on weekends, or add private catering. Lower overhead, faster permitting and inspections, and brand visibility from a rolling billboard make a coffee trailer or coffee truck a smart path to revenue. We tailor workflow design to your menu, discuss financing and lead time, and deliver a custom build ready for operations and commissary requirements. If you’re looking to start a coffee trailer business, we help you open sooner and scale confidently.

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How to start coffee trailer business?
Start by clarifying your concept and menu, choosing trailer size, and confirming local health department requirements. We help you pick the right chassis, layout, and equipment, then provide CAD for plan review, power and plumbing specs, and a step-by-step path from deposit to delivery. You’ll also need permits, commissary or prep plan (if required), business insurance, and a launch calendar of events or daily locations.

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How to build coffee trailer?

Start by defining your menu and daily volume so the coffee trailer build matches your mobile coffee business goals. At Hudson Trailer Company we create CAD drawings and an equipment plan that aligns with health department regulations and commissary requirements, then lock your workflow design for fast service. We fabricate the shell and interior, install commercial plumbing with fresh and waste tanks, three compartment and hand sinks, and run dedicated electrical at 30A or 50A for espresso machines, grinders, refrigeration, POS, and ventilation. Next we set the service window, counters, and storage, then install your espresso machine and grinder package, batch brewer or pour over station, undercounter refrigeration, water heater, and either a quiet generator or shore power inlet depending on your route. Every system is pressure tested and load tested and we document estimated curb weight and GVWR so your tow vehicle and brake controller are correctly matched. You receive CAD, spec sheets, and wiring and plumbing diagrams that inspectors expect for plan review. Our 14 foot and 17 foot coffee trailers can be tailored to coffee trailer or coffee truck style operations with options for AC and heat, tap towers for batch beverages, and brand ready exteriors. The result is a code compliant custom build that is optimized for speed of service and ready to launch your coffee trailer business.

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How much does a coffee trailer cost?

Pricing depends on size equipment and finishes. Our 14 foot coffee trailer starts at 44,000 and our 17 foot coffee trailer starts at 48,000. Common upgrades include commercial espresso machine and grinder packages refrigeration AC or heat generator or shore power inlet branding and California compliance. Ask for an estimate tailored to your menu and daily volume so your mobile coffee business spends only where it drives revenue.

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How much does a coffee trailer weigh?
Weight varies by size and equipment package. You can expect your coffee trailer to weigh in the range of 3500 pounds for smaller trailers to 5500 for larger 17 foot trailers.   What kind of vehicle can tow a coffee trailer?  You should look at the tow value of your vehicle and choose a vehicle that can tow well above the weight of your trailer, and one that has a brake controller as well. 

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How much can a coffee trailer make?
Profitability is driven by location strategy, drink speed, and cost control. Many owners focus on high-margin espresso drinks and batch beverages, aiming for fast ticket times.  Most well run coffee trailers sell about 150 to 300 cups a day, with an average ticket of 4 to 6 dollars. That puts monthly revenue roughly in the 12,000 to 30,000 range depending on locations, season, and events. Beverage COGS are low, so gross margins often land around 60 to 70 percent and net margins around 15 to 25 percent with tight labor, waste, and fuel costs. At Hudson Trailer Company we design layouts that increase shots per hour, add batch beverages to lift average order value, and size power and refrigeration so you can handle peak service and boost profitability with weekday routes plus weekend catering and festivals.
 

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How to power a coffee trailer?

Choose a quiet generator shore power, batteries or a hybrid. We calculate your electrical load for espresso machines, grinders, refrigeration, hot water and HVAC then design a 30 amp or 50 amp system with the right outlets and breaker map. Shore power is ideal at permanent or event sites.  Is it possible to run your coffee trailer on batteries?  Yes, but it depends on the equipment size and load. 

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Where to park coffee trailer and where to buy a coffee trailer?
Buy direct from a specialized builder like Hudson Trailer Company to get compliant systems, cleanable surfaces, and documentation inspectors expect, especially for strict health department jurisdictions.  For parking, you’ll need permission for private property and for public spaces, you'll need to follow local vending rules, time limits, and zoning. We can advise you commissary needs, and trailer power and water needs so you’re set up to succeed from day one.  It is best to start securing your locations during the period where we are building out your trailer so you are ready to launch when it is complete. 

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What do you need for a coffee trailer?

Core kit includes a commercial espresso machine, grinders, a batch brewer or pour over station, undercounter refrigeration, three compartment and hand sinks, potable and waste tanks, a hot water heater, AC/Heat, 30 amp or 50 amp electrical service, a service window, POS, and WiFi. Hudson Trailer Company delivers CAD drawings, wiring and plumbing diagrams, and health department ready specs so your coffee trailer build meets regulations and commissary requirements.

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