Both make brilliant coffee, and both have their place. The difference is where they're happiest. Quick version: if the action is indoors or up a few floors by lift, a cart's in its element; if it's a big outdoor pitch with parking and crowds all day, a van's the better tool.

The coffee cart

A cart is small, self-contained and goes where people are. Ours is under 80cm wide, runs on a battery, and brings its own water, so it slips through a doorway and sets up in a meeting room, a marquee, a gallery or a hotel ballroom. No fumes, no generator drone, no parking to negotiate.

  • Best for: parties, offices, conferences, indoor events, tight venues.
  • Setup: 30 to 45 minutes, no hookups.
  • Footprint: roughly 3 × 2 metres.

The coffee van

A van (or a converted horsebox or Piaggio) is a fixed pitch on wheels, and for the right event it's a brilliant thing: a real presence outdoors, room for plenty of stock, and a dual-boiler machine that can push high volumes through a big rush. The trade-off is access, it needs somewhere to park, level ground, and often a generator, so it's built to sit outdoors rather than come into the room. Different tool, different job, and a good one is worth every penny for the events it suits.

  • Best for: festivals, markets, big outdoor sites, roadside trade.
  • Setup: longer, and you're committed to the parking spot.
  • Footprint: a parking bay, plus access.

How to choose

Ask three questions. Is it indoors, or up in a lift? That's cart territory. Is there easy parking and level ground right by the action, with crowds all day? A van's happy there. Should the coffee come to people, or should they come to a window? Come-to-them is a cart; a fixed serving window suits a van. Most events lean one way pretty quickly.

Our take

We run a cart on purpose, because for the events most people ask us about, parties, work mornings, club days, launches, getting into the room is what matters most. That's simply our lane, not a knock on vans; a good coffee van or trailer is a brilliant bit of kit, and for a festival, a market or a big outdoor site it's often the better call. So if a cart isn't right for your day, just tell us, we're happy to point you toward a van or trailer we rate. If you're weighing it up, the best events for a coffee cart piece is a good next read, or just start with the basics.

Not sure which you need?

Tell us the venue and we'll tell you straight whether a cart's the right call, and if it isn't, we'll happily point you to a great van or trailer instead. No hard sell.

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