Cafe2U

A Cafe2U franchise is a mobile coffee business rather than a coffee shop, and the brand describes itself as the largest coffee van franchise in the world and the UK’s first.

Cafe2U was established in 2004 and celebrated 20 years of trading in 2024. Its franchising model began with the aim of bringing premium coffee to locations where people would not traditionally have access to it, which led the network into business parks and trading estates rather than town centres. There are now over 85 franchisees in the UK and more than 250 worldwide.

Each franchisee works from a custom-built, all-electric mobile café, taking espresso-based coffee, hot chocolate and sweet treats to places of work, business areas, industrial estates, events and sporting occasions. The coffee is a blend created exclusively for Cafe2U and roasted to its own recipe.

Why Choose the Franchise Cafe2U?

The working pattern is what distinguishes this from a coffee shop. Franchisees follow a set journey plan through the week, working flexible, self-determined hours, with many completing 25 to 35 pre-arranged stops a day and finishing in the middle of the afternoon. Payment is taken in full at the point of sale, so there is no bad debt. Weekend work is optional, at everything from property auctions and sporting events to fetes, charity fundraisers and weddings, and the company notes that event and weekend activity can significantly increase earnings.

Training runs to four weeks at the Cafe2U Academy in Yorkshire. The first week covers barista skills and business processes, the second is supervised pre-launch activity in the franchisee’s own territory, and the third and fourth make up the Acceleration Package, in which Franchise Development Managers accompany the franchisee to fast-track the launch. Every franchisee receives an exclusive territory licence, uniform, initial stock and a marketing toolkit.

Franchisees come from a range of backgrounds and many had no industry experience before joining. Availability covers most regions of the UK and Northern Ireland for start-up territories, all with multi-van potential, alongside some resale opportunities. Cafe2U is a bfa member.