Really Awesome Coffee

About Really Awesome Coffee

Really Awesome Coffee is a mobile cafe franchise that serves fresh gourmet coffee, hot drinks and food to people at businesses and events nationwide.

The concept is simple – the brand takes advantage of the huge demand in the ever-expanding UK coffee market but avoids the fierce competition on the high street by taking the coffee shop directly to customers in its unique mobile cafe vans. 

It was founded in 2010 by entrepreneur Kevin Haswell, who noticed people were still queuing outside cafes to get their daily caffeine fix despite the recession. After raising finance and remortgaging his house, he launched Really Awesome Coffee with the office in his back garden and the first coffee van parked on his driveway.

Since the first mobile cafe was launched in Coventry, Really Awesome Coffee has grown to become a market leader, with a network of over 50 franchisees.

How does the Really Awesome Coffee franchise model work?

The business model is built around the Monday to Friday daily coffee round, during which time franchisees visit a number of businesses at pre-arranged times to serve their regular customers with a full range of gourmet coffees, frappes and smoothies, as well as hot and chilled food options – everything you would expect in a top-quality high street cafe.

Typical trading hours are between 8:30 am and 3:30 pm, although there is plenty of flexibility with both timing and location. Most franchisees do some weekend or evening event work to supplement their daily coffee round income, but franchisees are free to do as little or as much trading as they like – some franchise partners add significant income by trading most weekends and others only work their weekday coffee rounds.

The mobile coffee van itself is a Mercedes Vito conversion, which has been designed for efficiency and ease of use. Every van is converted by the company at its head office workshop. The van is usually purchased using a hire purchase agreement over a five-year term.

How much does a Really Awesome Coffee franchise cost?

With Mercedes-Benz and HSBC’s Franchise Unit as finance partners, the required initial investment is just under £10,000. However, some franchise partners invest more up-front to reduce monthly finance repayments over the first few years.

The franchise fee of £19,950 (plus VAT) includes £5,000 worth of stock and equipment. This price also includes the franchise licence, bespoke training, launch programme and the Barista Premium launch pack.

What are the potential earnings for a Really Awesome Coffee franchisee?

With typical turnovers between £80,000 and £100,000 and an average combined gross profit margin of over 60 per cent (over 80 per cent on gourmet drinks and lower on food items), there is plenty of profit to be made for those willing to put in the work and commit to the system.

 

What locations or territories is the Really Awesome Coffee franchise looking to operate in?

The company has franchise opportunities available throughout the UK.

How in demand is coffee right now?

Satisfying the demand for quality gourmet coffee is a necessity in today’s fast-paced world. Coffee is the second most consumed drink in the world after water, with approximately 65m cups of coffee purchased every day in the UK alone.
 

Why is Really Awesome Coffee a good investment?

 
For individuals looking to run a lucrative business in an ever-growing market, this franchise is a low-cost option to start and maintain, and franchisees can start making money from day one, having completed the training. Franchisees enjoy a healthy work-life balance being their own boss, as they work a daily round that can be built around their lifestyles.

Figures show that the coffee sector continues to grow despite the number of businesses entering the market. The Really Awesome Coffee network has seen consistent growth year on year, while the UK coffee sales market is predicted to exceed £13bn by 2022.

Apart from the high level of training and ongoing support Really Awesome Coffee provides its franchisees, the brand stays one step ahead of its competitors and remains at the forefront of the industry through its use of technological developments. Some of them are:

The Mobile Cafe – Developed and built by the Really Awesome Coffee team, the coffee vans are uniquely capable, efficient, and environmentally friendly. You can have a full tour during a discovery day event.

The Really Awesome App – The brand makes it as easy as possible for customers to get their coffee fix. The bespoke app alerts customers when franchisees’ vans are on their way and also allows them to pre-order drinks so that they can avoid the queue.

Did you know?

Really Awesome Coffee has outlets available across the UK

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RAPoS – The brand has a bespoke electronic-point-of-sale till system. As well as performing standard functions and linking with the customer app, it also syncs with online coffee route maps and generates a suite of detailed ‘coffee-stop specific’ reports that are vital in tracking performance and ensuring that optimal business development advice is provided. 

The company has a proven, tested system of building, launching and supporting successful businesses nationwide. Plus, being mobile means Really Awesome Coffee franchisees can go where bigger players can’t.

Kevin points out: “Rather than being stuck in one place, we take the proactive approach and take the coffee to our customers.”

Where in the UK is the Really Awesome Coffee franchise based?

The Really Awesome Coffee head office is in Coventry, which is where all initial training takes place.
 

What support and training do Really Awesome Coffee franchisees receive?

 
New franchisees are taken through the bespoke training and launch programme, which includes the initial professional in-house barista training. Really Awesome Coffee also helps franchisees to identify customers in order to build their daily coffee round, along with general advice, ongoing support and business launch assistance. There is no need for experience in catering or running your own business because the training covers everything needed for someone learning how to run a successful mobile coffee business.

After initial training, the franchisor appoints a franchise development manager, who kick-starts the business in the franchisee’s territory. The Really Awesome Coffee franchise support team continues to work alongside franchisees, however closely they require, helping them achieve the level of success they are aiming for.

Really Awesome Coffee aims to make the day-to-day operations as simple and easy as possible. This starts with providing structured, comprehensive training and continues with regular in-territory support from the franchise development manager and remote support from the head office team.

A quick breakdown of the training and business launch program:
Step 1: After an initial training day, Really Awesome Coffee will carry out detailed business launch preparations with you
Step 2: You spend two weeks at the training centre in Coventry
Step 3: Really Awesome Coffee spends two weeks with you in your territory to launch your business
Step 4: Really Awesome Coffee reviews your trading data and your franchise development manager visits you regularly to maintain momentum and keep your business growing
 

What are the Really Awesome Coffee franchise terms of agreement and renewal?

The standard franchise licensing agreement is a 5+5+5 year format. This essentially means the franchise would initially last for a five-year period, followed by two sets of five-year blocks, which are automatically renewed and takes the total up to 15 years.

What makes an ideal Really Awesome Coffee franchises?

Although having business experience isn’t necessary for prospective franchisees, Kevin Haswell looks for an entrepreneurial drive, seeking franchisees with a good attitude, enthusiasm for the business and self-discipline. 

A franchisee would be someone who enjoys the social aspect of the role and who, with Really Awesome Coffee’s assistance, is prepared to put in the short-term hard work that is needed to grow any business.

How can I get started on setting up my own Really Awesome Coffee business?

The first step is to get in touch with the company by clicking the button below and a member of the head office team will be in contact. You are free to ask any questions, request a brochure and if you like what you’ve heard you can book a place on Really Awesome Coffee’s next discovery day.

The discovery day is a good opportunity to find out more in an informal environment and meet a current franchisee. During the day you’ll also be provided with a full financial illustration of a typical franchisee. 

The next stage is a one-to-one meeting with Kevin Haswell, where he will go into much more detail in all areas of the business, which includes how the franchise is set up, if this particular franchise business is suitable for the candidate and will also discuss personal circumstances, financials, etc.

With all this information, he will be able put together a suitable and realistic plan for the individual’s goals.