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Café culture is moving from the pavement to the road with the UK’s premier mobile coffee franchise Cafe2U and its fleet of Mercedes-Benz vans.
The burgeoning brand has just bought its 24th Mercedes Vito 109CDI Long in the last two years, the vehicle being allocated to recently-appointed Belfast-based mobile franchisee Jeff Peters.
Supplied by Mercedes-Benz of York, Cafe2U’s Vitos are specially adapted and fitted with thousands of pounds worth of equipment, including coffee-making machines, allowing franchisees to serve the finest coffee to customers of out-of-town retailers and other businesses.
Managing Director Tom Acland believes the three-pointed star is the perfect accompaniment to Cafe2U’s own corporate image. “We have positioned our brand as a purveyor of gourmet, high quality espresso coffee which is a cut above the high street chains,” he says.
“Coffee is becoming such a trendy product to be associated with that major businesses increasingly want our vans to be positioned at their events or conferences all day.”
Stylish, comfortable and car-like to drive, the Vito is the ‘baby’ of the Mercedes commercial vehicle range. It bristles with class-leading standard safety equipment, including the ground-breaking Adaptive ESP® anti-skid program, and also comes with long service intervals and a three-year, unlimited mileage warranty.
“Whether in terms of its appearance, comfort, safety or operating costs, the Vito has a definite edge over its rivals,” Tom Acland adds. “It is compact and manoeuvrable but also very practical – the fact that it has sliding load doors on both sides is a key attraction for us.
“Our striking red livery really stands out too; when people look out of the window and see a red van they know it’s either us or the postman!”
Cafe2U launched its first van in Sydney, Australia, in 2000, and five years later expanded into the UK. Today, it has a base in Leeds and 24 British franchisees who are located from London to Edinburgh, Belfast and even Guernsey, serving its specially blended and roasted beans.
Mr Acland adds: “We are providing a service that has not been offered before. Ours is now one of the fastest growing franchises in the country and next year we are looking to expand into Europe.”
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