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Coffee Pirate takes the java to the customer
CAMBRIDGE, Mar 11, 2009 (The Wisconsin State Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
It takes imagination and dedication to transform a 1978 Toyota Chinook mini-motor home into a pirate-themed coffee house on wheels.
But Sydney "Java Queen" Krieger, of Cambridge, has done it and has been navigating her business -- the Coffee Pirate -- through Dane County communities for about two weeks selling her brews to caffeine-deprived commuters.
The 19-foot truck has about 8 square feet of space for the galley-style kitchen that comes equipped with a refrigerator, stove and espresso maker, all powered by either propane or an electric generator.
"I can stand completely alone ... in the middle of nowhere and serve espresso," said Krieger, 50.
Cups and other supplies are housed where the camper's bed would be and customers are served through the sliding windows.
"The whole idea is to make it as convenient as possible for people to walk or drive up," she said.
Krieger said the truck's odd shape was part of what attracted her to it. However, remodeling the vehicle that lacked any square corners did have its challenges.
The project required "a lot of thinking and a lot of math to get the system to work," she said. "I wanted it to look kind of like a ship."
And before remodeling could begin, orange shag carpeting and an avocado-green toilet were ripped out, along with tables, chairs and benches decorated in popular 1970s color schemes.
Krieger declined to say how much she invested in the remodeling or starting her business. She is nationally certified as a food-service handler and her vehicle is licensed as a mobile food service through the state of Wisconsin.
Scott Skalitzky, owner of Custom RV Services in Madison, and his crew were in charge of remodeling the truck, which took a couple hundred hours to complete.
"The biggest challenge was being able to put that much stuff in that small of an area," he said. "It was quite a challenge."
Krieger said she has wanted to open a coffee shop for the last decade, but "it doesn't seem like a coffee shop in a solid location would work for me."
A traditional cafe would have been a larger investment, required more overhead and if the location didn't prove profitable, the owner would be stuck, she said.
"This way, I can take this puppy on the road," she said.
Before starting the Coffee Pirate, Krieger worked as a journalist and office manager for the Cambridge News for 4 1/2 years and has also worked as a caterer. In addition to her coffee business, she designs and makes costumes for the University Opera.
While on vacation in New Zealand, she got the idea after seeing someone sell coffee from a sport utility vehicle.
"I just looked at my husband and said, 'That's it,' " she said.
Krieger plans to park the Coffee Pirate in Deerfield, Cambridge and Fort Atkinson on scheduled days throughout the week.
"People's faces when they come up and they find out what I'm doing, it's so fun," she said. "And that's what it's all about."
In addition to her morning hang-outs, Krieger also is available for private parties and plans to attend fairs, festivals and farmers' markets during the afternoons and evenings throughout the summer and is also available for corporate parties and weddings.
Michael Johnson, owner of Johnson Brothers Coffee Roasters in Madison, said powering a mobile coffee and espresso shop can be "tricky." He helped Krieger find the special propane-fueled espresso machine.
"I think that's the only one in the area," Johnson said of Krieger's mobile coffee shop.
All the coffee and espresso drinks served by the Coffee Pirate are made from Johnson's beans and Krieger sells locally made biscotti.
Krieger said business is "picking up every day," and if all goes well, she could expand her fleet.
"I think it's great for people on the go," said Kathy Raymond, a family friend of Krieger's who stopped by recently to sample the coffee. "It's really something new and fun."
Roy Marsden, who lives in Cambridge, also stopped by to grab some coffee during his volunteer shift for Cambridge's emergency medical services.
"I think it's a great idea," said he said of the Coffee Pirate.
So why the pirate theme?
"Pirates have a reputation for independence," Krieger said, and with her mobile espresso business, "I can go anywhere I want and do anything I want."
COFFEE PIRATE
Phone: 608-371-7194
E-mail: coffeepirate@verizon.net
Web site: www.coffeepirate.net
Products: Coffee, espresso, espresso drinks, cocoa, tea and locally made biscotti. Warm-weather menu items will include Italian sodas, iced cafe drinks and iced teas.
Hours: 6 to 10 a.m. Mondays and 6 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays in Deerfield across from the library on West Nelson Street; 6 to 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Cambridge near the intersection of highways 12 and 18 and 6 to 10 a.m. on Fridays in the Ace Hardware parking lot on Madison Avenue in Fort Atkinson. Also available for special events throughout south-central Wisconsin.
To see more of The Wisconsin State Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go
to http://www.wisconsinstatejournal.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Wisconsin State
Journal Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints,
email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send
a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee
Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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