The Mobile Coffee Group
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Serve from the back
Open the hatch. You're trading.
The simplest fit-out we build: a stainless bench across the boot of a van you already own, machine and grinder bolted in, hatch up as the awning. No walk-in, no canopy — just a rear door and a full espresso set-up behind it.
See the gallery How it's built
- Any van
- Hatch, wagon or minivan
- 1–2
- Group espresso machines fitted
- Weekend-ready
- Fits a van already used daily
Straight from the workshop
Handover photos, bench detail and finished builds — click through the clips in the main window, or pick one from the strip below.
Or pick a clip (8)
- SHOT On The Run, handover day
- Able Minds, minivan build
- Finished build, handover
- Stainless bench, machine & grinder
- Black minivan, rear hatch build
- Compact stainless bench
- Handover, two operators
- Thumbs up at handover
- New owners, handover day
- Fit-out detail, rear hatch
- Optus fleet, three vans
- Two builds, workshop floor
Vans we fit out
What makes a good serve-from-the-back base
This is the lightest build we do, which is exactly the point — it's meant to go into a van you might already own. We're checking three things: boot depth for the bench, a hatch that opens high enough to stand under, and enough payload left for a machine and a fridge.
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Hatchbacks, wagons and minivans
Any van, wagon or minivan with a top-hinged rear hatch works — the hatch itself becomes the awning once it's up, no extra canopy or roof structure needed.
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Boot depth for the bench
The espresso machine, grinder and under-bench fridge all sit in the boot space behind the rear seats — we measure that depth before anything else gets specced.
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A van you're already driving
Because the fit-out doesn't touch the cabin or the drivetrain, this is the build most likely to go into a vehicle the owner already has — no new registration, no new loan.
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Single or two-group machine
Both are offered. A single group and one grinder suits markets, offices and small events; a two-group set-up handles a busier queue where the boot depth allows it.
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Splashback and lighting fit inside the boot
Tile splashback, pendant lighting and a timber benchtop all mount inside the existing boot cavity — finished to the same standard as a full van build, just scaled to fit.
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New builds and re-fits
A fresh fit-out into a van bought for the job, or a bench built into a vehicle already on the road — both end at the same compliance sign-off before it goes to work.
Build your own
Inside a serve-from-the-back fit-out
The same five decisions as any build, scaled right down. On this style, the layout question is really just one question — how much bench fits in the boot — and everything else follows from the answer.
- Layout
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Bench across the boot, hatch as the awning
A stainless or timber bench built across the full width of the boot, tiled splashback behind it, and the hatch itself doing the job a canopy or awning would on a bigger build. Nothing extends past the rear bumper when it's closed up.
- Espresso machines
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Two group, gas or battery
Two-group machines are installed, either gas or inverter/battery powered. Paired grinders sit alongside, and the power choice follows the work — gas for long days away from a plug, inverter and battery where a quiet, flueless set-up matters.
- Water & waste
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Council approved tanks, under-bench fridge
Council approved fresh and waste containers tucked under the bench, sized for a single day's trading, plus an under-bench drawer fridge for milk.
- Power options
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Battery bank, sized to one machine
A single battery with inverter runs the machine, grinder and fridge for a typical shift. Because the van still drives daily, the bank usually tops back up on the drive between bookings.
- Wraps & branding
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Signage, not a full respray
Most builds keep the van's existing paint and add signage or a small decal rather than a full wrap — the bench and fit-out do the branding work once the hatch is up.
Ready to build your rear hatch set-up?
Your nearest dealer can walk you through bench layouts, machine sizing, and what it takes to get one built into your own van.