Hello BXers,

 

I have recently formed a company with the intention of eventually opening a coffee shop here in Gothenburg, Sweden. The market here is a bit behind the times, so to speak, in that there exists essentially one "third wave" coffee shop (and they're world class) and then a bunch of really solid Italian-style coffee shops. The mission of my company is to help nudge Gothenburg's coffee scene a bit forward and to get caught up with the industry overall. 

 

One of the ideas I've had in mind to help establish the name brand (until I am able to secure my own actual shop) is to do a "pop-up" café. The only thing is, I am not exactly sure the logistics of setting one up. Has anyone on here ever successfully operated a pop-up café or at the very least been to one? 

 

What I'd like to do is just set up a pour-over bar somewhere. No espresso, just coffee. Any thoughts? Ideas? Recommendations?

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Sounds interesting, but can you explain exactly what you mean by "pop up cafe"?

Something very much like this or this. But obviously, I'm no Square Mile Roasters or Stumptown so I'm thinking of something a bit more small scale. I'm building (or trying to at least!) a collapsible pourover bar, there's a roastery I'm working with so I have the product. I guess my question is vague because the concept of a "pop up café" is pretty open to interpretation. 

 

One of my clients recently did this with great success. They opened a cafe in their neighborhood last fall, and spent the spring and summer running a pourover bar at the farmers market in their neighborhood. This strategy really worked out well for them because it helped build their brand in their target market. The demand and awareness they built up among their customers made for a packed house the first weekend they opened their doors. Having a whole summer's worth of experience working with their coffees also left them with much better knowledge of their lineup and ability to execute.

 

I think this is a smart plan. The key, though, is to remember that your focus needs to be on building a positive relationship and brand identity with your future customers. Make sure you work out your bugs and start strong.

I like that. I just wish there were farmer's markets here in Sweden! But maybe I should look into the possibility of some sort of cart or truck...

Ha! I forgot that I posted this! Well over a year later, I'm finally doing (somewhat) a version of a pop-up at an upcoming chocolate fair. It's just for a couple of days but I have a plan as to how I'll execute this: 

Because I have yet to see the space we'll be setting up in, I wanted to make sure I would have the bare necessities. I have my brewing gear (a couple of range servers and kettles from Tiamo) a scale, a heavy-duty grinder, an induction plate and a couple of portable plastic water tanks. Since I'm working on a limited budget, I thought the induction plate provided me with the best option for hot water. I can't afford an Über boiler or anything and an electric kettle would mean transferring the water from one vessel to another. The induction allows me to heat the kettles directly and to the exact temperature (give or take) I want. 

Pourover bars are still relatively uncommon in Sweden, well at least in Gothenburg so I suppose there is a lot of room for trial and error. I'll take some pics of the final set-up this weekend!

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