A toast to coffee (and mobile coffee carts)

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Hello readers,

Hazelnut, mocha, cinnamon, caramel, cocoa mint – these are just a few of the coffee grounds I have on the shelf devoted to my caffeine fix. But despite the variety at home, I have to admit that I’ve sorely missed going out to coffee cafes like I used to pre-Covid 19. Drinking coffee that isn’t made at home just hits differently.

We don’t see coffee carts in residential neighborhoods in India, but they’re a lot more common in Indonesia – which is why a part of me wishes I was there right now so that I could grab a coffee and then retreat to my modern hermit-styled life again. Our premium pick today is a tale of coffee carts, and the story begins with this intriguing line: “In Indonesia, supply chain networks don’t end at mom and pop shops or warungs.”

Today we look at,

• An Indonesian mobile coffee firm that has recently raised funds
• B2B ecommerce unicorn Udaan’s Pinduoduo-styled play in India
• Other newsy highlights such as a digital plot on Axie Infinity getting sold for around US$2.3million, and Beijing giving robotaxis the green signal

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Backing a caffeine high

Image credit: Timmy Loen

While talking about food and beverage carts with my colleague Aditya, I brought up how in Bengaluru, where I stay, it’s common to see carts hawking 99 varieties of dosas. Apparently, “dosa,” a type of crepe that pretty much works for any meal in South India, means “sin” in Bahasa Indonesia. And jago, the name of an Indonesia-based coffee chain that translates into “powerful” or “champion” in the archipelago, means “wake up” in Hindi. Another day, another tribute to the eccentric beauty of language.

That said, Jago Coffee seems to have found its coffee lovers – the company recently raised US$250,000 in a pre-seed funding round from venture capital firm Beenext, investment company Prasetia Dwidharma, and coffee entrepreneur Hidenori Izaki.

• More wheels, more fuel for the soul: Jago Coffee aims to use the fresh funds to grow its number of mobile carts from 20 to 280 by next year. It also wants to pilot new product categories outside coffee with other food and beverage brands.

• One cart to win them all: Building a business on a mobile cart model does away with a lot of problems that a brick-and-mortar location would face. Mobile carts are relatively more affordable, can be wheeled anywhere, don’t ask for too much space, and consume less electricity than a traditional store would.

• Slow and steady: The company’s coverage is currently limited to certain areas in South and Central Jakarta, but Jago Coffee’s founders are in no hurry to scale up. Instead, their focus right now is to reach product-market fit.

Read more: Indonesian mobile coffee firm carts $250k from Beenext, others

Taking flight with Pinduoduo’s model