The Coffee Trailer
90-Day Launch Blueprint

Call your county health department. Ask: "What permits do I need for a mobile coffee trailer and do I need a commissary?" Log the name + answer. 10 minutes that saves weeks.

Visit 2 local farmers markets as a customer. Note: how many coffee vendors, wait times, menu prices, setup style. Talk to the market manager if possible.

Set up saved searches on TrailerTrader, Facebook Marketplace, and Craigslist for "coffee trailer" and "espresso trailer" within 300 miles. You'll need 2–4 weeks of data to understand pricing.

Identify the top 3 farmers markets in your area — attendance, vendor fees, waitlist status. Email or call each one this week to ask about vendor applications.

Research commissary kitchens near you. Search "[your city] commissary kitchen for rent" and list 3–5 candidates. Most charge $200–$600/month. You need to visit in person before signing.

Do the revenue math for your specific market. Use the calculator (Deliverable 2) with local farmers market fees, typical drink prices in your area, and your realistic operating days.

Make your go/no-go decision based on week 1 research. If you're going: file your LLC this week. If you're in doubt: call one more commissary and one more market before deciding.

File your LLC through your state's Secretary of State website. Most states charge $50–$200 and process in 3–7 business days. Use your business name exactly as you want it on signage.

Get your EIN from IRS.gov (free, instant online). You'll need this for your business bank account, equipment financing, and tax filings. Takes 5 minutes.

Open a business checking account. Take your LLC documents + EIN. Recommended: Relay (fee-free, online) or your local credit union for in-person support. Do NOT commingle personal and business funds from day one.

Get 3 equipment financing quotes. Contact National Business Capital, Balboa Capital, and one local bank or credit union. Tell them: "I'm financing a coffee trailer and commercial espresso machine, approximately $30K–$45K." Compare APR and terms, not monthly payment.

Apply to your top 2 farmers markets. Most have waitlists — getting in queue now matters even if you're 8 weeks from opening. Use the Farmers Market outreach template (Deliverable 5) as your vendor application email.

Decide: buy used or build new. If financing is approved and you have 3–5 months, a custom build gives you exactly what you need. If you need to open faster, a used trailer is the move. Make this call today — it sets every other timeline decision.

If buying used: schedule viewings of your top 3 trailer listings this week. Bring a licensed electrician or mechanic to at least one viewing. Check: axle condition, floor integrity (no soft spots), electrical panel amperage, plumbing (fresh + grey tanks), and propane lines.

If building new: contact 3 custom trailer builders. Vetted shops: Cruising Kitchens (TX), Custom Trailer Pros (TX), and Prestige Food Trucks (FL). Request a quote with your exact equipment list. Ask for their current build queue — lead times vary from 6 weeks to 6 months.

Finalize your espresso machine decision. If you're buying new: choose your machine before you buy the trailer — trailer electrical must be wired to spec. The Nuova Simonelli Appia Life pulls ~3,000W. The La Marzocco Linea Mini pulls ~1,500W. Different generator requirements.

Call your top 2 equipment financing lenders with a firm number. Say: "I'm ready to move forward. I need $[X] for a coffee trailer and espresso machine. What's your timeline to fund?" Most can fund in 3–7 business days once approved. Get the timeline in writing.

Source your grinders. You need two — one dedicated espresso, one batch brew. Order used if budget-conscious: eBay and restaurant equipment auctions (RestaurantEquipment.com, Webstaurant) regularly have Mazzer and Mahlkönig units at 40–60% off retail. Check burr wear before buying used.

Create your equipment master list with model, price, source, and estimated delivery date. Everything you need before opening: espresso machine, 2 grinders, generator, water tanks, pump, refrigeration, POS hardware, smallwares (tamper, pitchers, knock box, portafilters). This list drives your timeline.

Put a deposit on your trailer (used or custom build). Get a signed purchase agreement or build contract with delivery date in writing. Do not let a builder start without a contract specifying build specs, delivery date, and what happens if they miss it.

Order your espresso machine. If ordering new from a dealer, ask about installation support — many espresso dealers will help you dial in the machine and train you on maintenance as part of the sale. This is worth choosing a dealer over Amazon for a $4K+ machine.

Lock your business name and order your domain. Check: is the Instagram handle available? Is the .com available? If not, try "[name]coffee.com" or "[city][name].com." Buy the domain today — domains are $12–15/year and you want to own it before you get business cards printed.

Find your wholesale coffee roaster. Search "[your city] coffee roaster wholesale" — most specialty roasters sell wholesale at $12–18/lb with $100–$200 minimum orders. Alternatively: Genuine Origin, Cafe Imports, and Royal Coffee ship nationally. Call this week; many require a wholesale application.

Design decision: DIY or hire a designer? Your logo, trailer wrap, and cup design need to be cohesive. Options: 99designs ($299 contest for a logo), Fiverr ($50–$150 for a solid logo), or a local designer ($500–$1,500 for a full brand kit). The wrap is your biggest billboard — don't cheap out on the artwork even if you cheap out on printing.

Set up your Square account and add your menu items with prices. Even before you have a physical card reader, you can start building your menu structure. Enable Square's item sales reports from day one — you want data on your top-selling drinks from market 1.

Create your Instagram and TikTok accounts today — even if your trailer isn't built. Post: "Building a coffee trailer in [city]. Follow the journey." Document the process from here. Your first 500 followers come from people who watched you build it, not from people who saw you open.

File your Mobile Food Vendor Permit application with your county health department. Use your permit checklist (Deliverable 3) for your state's specific form and fee. Most counties require: your trailer's equipment list, water system specs, and a commissary agreement — you may need to submit the commissary after you sign one.

Apply for your Sales Tax Permit through your state revenue department's website. This is usually free or $10–$50 and processes in 1–2 weeks. You cannot legally collect and remit sales tax without it. Most states process online at revenue.[state].gov.

Visit your top 3 commissary kitchen candidates in person. What to check: Is it actually licensed by the health department (ask to see their current permit)? Is there adequate storage for your dry goods and coffee? What are the actual hours — do they work with your schedule? Is there a dishwasher? Locked storage?

Negotiate your commissary agreement. Most charge $200–$600/month. Ask for: month-to-month terms (avoid 12-month lock-ins until you know it works), a key or access code so you're not dependent on their hours, and clarity on storage space. Get the agreement in writing before the health department asks for it.

Register your trailer with the DMV. Your trailer is a vehicle — it needs a title, registration, and license plate. Requirements vary by state but generally: proof of purchase/sale, weight certification, and payment of registration fee ($50–$150/year). Do this before your health department inspection, which may require registration proof.

Get your Food Handler's Certification if you don't already have it. StateFoodSafety.com offers it online for $15–$25 in about 90 minutes. Most states require this for every person serving food. If you plan to hire help, they'll need their own certifications.

Get your business insurance quote. You need: general liability ($1M minimum — most events require this), commercial auto (your personal auto insurance likely doesn't cover business use of your tow vehicle), and product liability (usually bundled with GL). Next Insurance and FLIP both offer instant online quotes for food trailers. Budget $1,200–$2,500/year.

Check in with your trailer builder or used trailer seller. If custom: request a progress photo and confirm your delivery date is still on track. If used: confirm your pickup date and arrange transport if needed. This is also the week to finalize any trailer modifications (window placement, serving pass-through size, awning specs).

Finalize your logo and brand assets. You need these to move forward with wrap design, printed materials, and your website. Deliverables from your designer: vector logo (.ai or .eps), PNG on white background, PNG on transparent background, and brand color hex codes. Ask for all four upfront.

Get your trailer wrap designed and quoted. The wrap design is separate from printing. A local sign shop can design and print — budget $800–$2,500 for a full wrap depending on trailer size. Get 2 quotes. Provide them your logo, color palette, and any specific text (name, Instagram handle, website). They'll need trailer dimensions.

Order your cups, lids, and sleeves. Minimum order for branded cups is typically 500 units and takes 2–3 weeks. Providers: Lollicup, Solo/Dart, or your local restaurant supply. Standard sizes: 12oz, 16oz, 20oz. Order unbranded first for testing; branded second once you know your sizes. Also order stir sticks, straws, napkins, and to-go bags.

Build your pricing menu and finalize your drink list. Keep it tight for launch: 8–12 items max. Espresso, Americano, Latte, Cappuccino, Cold Brew, 1 seasonal signature drink, Drip coffee, and 1 non-coffee option. Simplicity = speed = more customers served per hour. You can expand after 60 days when you know your workflow cold.

Order your generator. Lead times on Honda EU7000iS can be 2–4 weeks. If budget is a constraint, order the Champion 8750W dual-fuel — it's 1/4 the price and handles the load. Confirm your espresso machine's wattage draw before ordering. Also order a transfer switch or 30-amp inlet if you plan to plug into shore power at some locations.

Set up your location schedule system. You need a consistent way to tell customers where you'll be. Options: Linktree with a weekly schedule image, a simple Google Site, or a recurring Instagram Story highlight. Pick one and commit. Inconsistency is the #1 reason coffee trailer customers stop following you.

Receive your espresso machine and grinders. Do not fire up the espresso machine until it's on the correct power supply — running it on the wrong voltage voids the warranty and can damage the heating elements. Confirm your trailer's electrical output matches your machine's specs before the first pull.

Install your water system. You need a fresh water tank, a grey water tank (same or larger capacity), a pump, and water lines. Standard setup: 30-gallon fresh + 30-gallon grey. Run your pump and check every fitting for leaks. Your health inspector will check this — a leaky grey water line is an automatic fail.

Wire your generator to your trailer. If you're not an electrician, hire one for this step — $150–$300 and worth every dollar. The espresso machine, refrigeration, and lighting all need to run simultaneously without tripping a breaker. Have the electrician test under full load before your health inspection.

Install your refrigeration. Undercounter fridge for milk and dairy — temperature must hold below 41°F. Install a thermometer inside the fridge and check it morning and close. Your health inspector will ask for temp logs. Start logging from day 1 of operation.

Set up your hand-wash sink. Most health codes require a dedicated hand-wash sink separate from your equipment-cleaning sink. This is a common first-time oversight. Check your county's code now — some require a 3-compartment sink, some require 2. Non-negotiable for passing inspection.

First espresso pulls. With machine installed and water running, pull your first shots. Expect them to be bad — grind setting, dose weight, and tamp pressure all need dialing in. This is your first calibration session. Goal: find a grind setting that produces 25–30 second extraction at your target dose. Write it down.

Photograph your trailer build progress for social media. Machine installed, tanks in, generator running — this is highly shareable content. Post: "First espresso pull from the new machine" with a short video. This is the moment your followers have been waiting to see. Don't skip this post.

Schedule your health department pre-inspection walkthrough if your county offers one (many do). A pre-inspection gives you a chance to identify issues before the formal inspection. Call your county health department and ask: "Do you offer pre-inspections for new mobile food units?" A yes here can save you weeks.

Review your county's mobile food unit inspection checklist. Most counties publish this online. Print it out and physically check every item in your trailer. Common failures: no hand-wash sink, grey water tank smaller than fresh water tank, no thermometer in refrigeration, no food handler certificates on file, missing fire extinguisher.

Install your fire suppression and extinguisher. If you have any propane equipment (burners, heaters), most counties require a K-class fire extinguisher rated for grease fires — not a standard ABC extinguisher. Mount it in a clearly visible location. Check the inspection pin. Cost: $40–$80 at any hardware store.

Wrap your trailer. Schedule your wrap installation appointment with the sign shop. Installation typically takes 1 full day for a partial wrap, 1.5–2 days for a full wrap. Drop your trailer off the night before if the shop allows it. Do not wrap before your health inspection — the inspector may require interior modifications.

Confirm your commissary agreement is signed and you have a copy for the health department. Call the health department to ask exactly what documentation they need from the commissary — some want the commissary's license number, some want a letter on letterhead, some want a copy of their health permit.

Set up your Square POS hardware in the trailer. Mount your iPad stand at serving height, run your card reader cable, and test a payment end-to-end. Enable offline mode so you can take payments if your cellular signal drops at a market. Print a test receipt. Confirm your menu items are all in the system with correct prices and tax settings.

Schedule your formal health inspection. Call or book online now — inspection calendars can be 1–3 weeks out depending on your county. You want your inspection in Week 9 so any correction items can be fixed before your target opening date. Do not assume you'll pass first time — budget for one re-inspection.

Health department inspection day. Be there early with your trailer clean and all systems running (generator on, fridge cold, water pump working). Have on hand: your commissary agreement, food handler certificates, LLC documents, and trailer registration. The inspector will test your water temp, check your grey tank, and verify your cold-hold is below 41°F.

If you passed: celebrate and move on. If you got correction items: fix them immediately and schedule your re-inspection before you leave the inspector's presence. Most corrections are minor (missing thermometer, label, or documentation) — don't let this derail your timeline. A re-inspection is common and not a reflection on your setup.

Finalize and purchase your business insurance. Now that you have your permit (or it's imminent), you can finalize your policy. Make sure: general liability is at least $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate, your trailer is listed as insured property, and your tow vehicle is covered for commercial use. Get your certificate of insurance (COI) — farmers markets will require it.

Cost every item on your menu. For each drink, add up: coffee cost (grams × $/gram), milk cost (oz × $/oz), syrup (pumps × $/pump), cup + lid + sleeve + straw. Divide by your selling price. This is your COGS%. Target: under 32%. If any drink is over 35% COGS, either reprice it or remove it from your opening menu.

Order your opening inventory. Based on your menu costing, calculate 2 weeks of supplies at projected volume. For a first market, start conservative: 10 lbs of espresso beans, 2 gallons of whole milk, 1 gallon oat milk, 1 quart each of your syrups, 300 cups in each size, matching lids, sleeves, and napkins. Order a buffer — running out of milk on market day is a disaster.

Announce your opening on social media. You now have a permit and an approximate opening date — share it. Post your trailer wrap reveal if it's done, your permit on the wall, or a "we're almost open" photo. Add your opening date. Give followers something concrete to put on their calendar.

Prep your loyalty program. Decide: digital (Square Loyalty at $45/month, or Stamp Me at $30/month) or physical punch cards. For launch, physical punch cards work fine — print 500 for $30 at Vistaprint. "Buy 9, get 10th free" is the proven model. Have them ready for market day 1.

Time yourself making your full menu. Set a timer. Make one of everything on your menu from order to hand-off. Track: how long does each drink take? Which ones slow you down? Any drink taking over 4 minutes is a problem at a busy market. Simplify or eliminate the slow ones before you open.

Practice your opening and closing routine. From "generator on" to "first drink ready" should be under 20 minutes. Time yourself. Write your opening checklist and post it inside the trailer. Same for close: grey water dump, fresh water refill, wipe-down, fridge check, lock-up. Make it a routine so nothing gets forgotten after a long market day.

Simulate a rush. Get 2–3 friends or family to line up and order back-to-back, different drinks, while one of them changes their mind. This reveals your choke points: Can you hold 4 drink orders in your head? Where does your workspace get cluttered? What's your system for calling out orders? Practice until it doesn't feel chaotic.

Calibrate your espresso daily for 5 days straight. Grind setting, dose, yield, and extraction time can shift with humidity and bean freshness. This week you should be dialing in every morning until it becomes muscle memory. Target: a consistent 25–30 second extraction from a locked-in grind setting.

Set up your Square reporting dashboard. Before you open, configure: item sales report (daily), end-of-day report (emailed to you automatically), and a cash drawer if you'll take cash. Run a $0.01 test transaction to confirm everything flows from order → payment → receipt correctly.

Build your trailer hitch and towing practice. If you've never towed a trailer, practice in an empty parking lot before you're navigating a busy farmers market at 6am. Practice: hitching and unhitching, backing in, making wide turns. Bring someone to spot you. A bent axle or scraped fender before market 1 will ruin your week.

Post your first social media location teaser. "We'll be at [Market Name] on [Date]. Come find us." Use the market's location tag, tag the market's account, and use 3–5 local hashtags. This is your first public location announcement. Reply to every comment — this is when your local following starts building.

Host your soft open — invite only. Text 20–30 people: friends, family, neighbors. Set up in your driveway, a church parking lot, or a friendly local business's lot. Run 2–3 hours, take real orders, charge real prices (or at cost — your call). The goal is to find problems before strangers find them for you.

Debrief your soft open. Write down every friction point: What ran out faster than expected? What took longer than it should? What did you forget? What did customers ask for that you didn't have? What broke or didn't work? This is your punch list. Fix everything on it before market day.

Fix your punch list — priority items first. If something required improvising during the soft open (you ran out of something, a workflow wasn't working), fix it now. Add items to your opening inventory, rearrange your workspace, or change a drink recipe. Small problems at a soft open become large problems at a busy market.

Do a second soft open if your punch list was long. Invite a new group. Same setup, same goal: find problems before they find you. If your first soft open went smoothly with only minor issues, skip this and use the day for rest. You'll need the energy reserves for your first real market.

Confirm your first market day logistics. Call the market manager to confirm: your assigned vendor spot, what time setup begins, whether you need to provide your own tables/chairs, whether power is available (shore power vs generator), whether grey water disposal is available on site, and the market's end time. Do not assume — confirm every detail.

Prepare your market day kit. Beyond your coffee setup, pack: change bank ($100 in $1s, $5s, $10s, $20s), a backup card reader, extension cord + power strip, a phone charger, a small first aid kit, garbage bags, a wet/dry vac for spills, a backup gallon of whole milk, and your insurance COI (markets sometimes ask to see it).

Get 8 hours of sleep. Your first market day will start at 5:30am or earlier. You need to be sharp — you're operating equipment, handling money, talking to strangers, and making drinks simultaneously. This is not a day to run on 5 hours. Everything is ready. Trust your prep and rest.

First market day. Arrive 45–60 minutes before your allowed setup start time. Back in slowly. Set up in this order: generator → water → fridge → espresso machine warm-up → menu signage → POS → supplies organized → change bank set. Machine needs 15–20 minutes to reach temp. Pull a test shot before the market opens. Discard it.

First market debrief — run your Square report tonight. Total revenue, number of transactions, top items sold, average ticket size. Compare to your pre-launch projection. Was your projection close? What surprised you? Write it down while it's fresh. This data shapes every decision for the next 90 days.

Send outreach emails this week. Use Deliverable 5 templates. Now that you have a real open trailer (not "coming soon"), your pitch is stronger. Target: the corporate campus or business park within 2 miles of your regular route. One secured weekly stop with 100+ captive customers is worth more than a second farmers market slot.

Second market day (if your schedule allows two per week). Or use this day to restock, deep-clean the machine (backflush with cleaner, clean group heads, purge steam wands), dump and refill your water tanks, and prep your inventory for the week. Machine cleaning is not optional — neglecting it degrades shot quality and shortens machine life.

Post your first week recap on social. Share your revenue total if you're comfortable (many operators share revenue milestones — it builds trust and credibility with potential customers). Or share: cups served, most popular drink, what surprised you. Authentic posts about real numbers outperform polished content in the local food/biz community.

Claim your Google Business Profile today if you haven't already. Search "[your business name]" on Google Maps, click "Claim this business." Add your category (Coffee Shop / Food Truck), upload 5+ photos of your trailer and drinks, add your service area, and write a 1-paragraph description. Reviews that people leave here are indexed — one good week of asking for reviews compounds forever.

Set up your recurring weekly systems. Every Sunday night: check inventory, place restock orders for anything below 1-week supply, update your Instagram location schedule for the week, and charge all devices. This 20-minute Sunday ritual keeps you from running out of oat milk on a Tuesday.

Review your first 30 days of Square data. Your top 3 drinks by volume and by revenue. Your best market day. Your worst. Your average ticket. Your busiest hour. This data tells you where to optimize — should you raise prices on your top seller? Should you cut the slow-moving item that jams your workflow?

Secure a second recurring location. You should have outreach emails out (Day 80). Follow up today on anything unanswered. A second locked weekly location is the most important revenue stabilization move you can make in month 2. One market = weather risk. Two markets = a business.

Price your first private event. You should be getting inquiries by now. Event pricing: $400–$900 minimum guarantee for 2 hours, all-inclusive (drinks + your time + setup). For events over 100 people, add $2–3/person over 75 guests. Put your event rate card in writing so you're not making up numbers on every call.

Reach out to 3 local wedding planners. Use the wedding planner template (Deliverable 5). Weddings book 6–18 months out — starting this outreach now means summer/fall wedding revenue next year. One wedding planner who books you once and loves you can send 5–10 bookings per year at $700–$1,200 each.

Set a 90-day revenue goal for your next quarter. Based on your first 13 weeks of real data, you now know what's realistic. Set a specific target: "Hit $X in gross revenue by Day 180." Break it into weekly targets. This is the moment you go from launching to running a business with a growth plan.

Subscribe to the TinyBiz newsletter if you haven't — next quarter's playbook covers hiring your first part-time helper, scaling to a second trailer, and building the corporate catering pipeline that turns a $70K solo business into a $120K operation. The hard part is done. You're open.

You did it. Ninety days ago this was an idea. Today you have a licensed, insured, operating coffee trailer business with real customers, real revenue data, and a second-quarter growth plan. Most people who read the playbook never buy the trailer. You did. That's everything.