Fresh coffee makes the rounds
FOR the past eight months businessman Danie Laas has been making sure that Nelson Mandela Bay residents wake up and smell the coffee by serving them his "bean to cup" creations at different locations around the city.
Laas owns Dan's Coffee Stop, a mobile business that goes around Port Elizabeth stopping at different locations in the mornings. His selection of brews include lattes, espressos, hot chocolate and choc chinos from freshly roasted beans.
The 59-year-old former insurance salesman – who is licensed to serve in Port Elizabeth and East London – started the business earlier this year, though he started thinking about it after his wife died in 2012.
"After my wife died, for most of the following year I was busy solving and sorting out her things.
"Then in June I saw a guy in East London on the beachfront selling coffee and I liked that.
"So I started doing research and discovered the beauty of coffee.
"In January this year I went up to Pretoria, sold my BMW X3 and I used that money to get this started. Because my mother lives in East London, I decided to settle close and moved to Port Elizabeth."
Laas parks his van, which uses an inverter for power, at different events including rallies and toy runs around the city.
"I don't have a specific place, though I did operate for about three weeks in Heugh Road, Walmer. But I am also hoping to be based at a daily spot like Hobie Beach for a while and create a friendly environment.
"But with the warm season coming up it might not be a great idea."
He said he goes to East London a couple of times a month and parks at Cricket games and rallies when he is not visiting family. "But I prefer Port Elizabeth. And I hope the daily spot will work out without having to take up a parking space."
The father of two said since he started in April, business has been slow but ever increasing.
"It's not increasing rapidly, which is great because I'm scared of things that go up too fast. Because it is up fast and down fast it is constantly improving.
"Obviously business is affected by things we cannot control as well. There are certain times when we have lovely days but there are also rainy days where you can't really do business because people have to wait outside."
The Rowallan Park businessman said he chose the coffee truck business because it does not have a lot of losses.
"I don't have much wastage. In a bakery, if you make 100 cakes and sell one then you are left with a waste of 99. If someone buys one coffee, I make one coffee. No stock losses."
The mobile business also has Snapscan which allows costumers to pay using their cellphones.
"This is because people walking on the beach do not necessarily want to carry wallets but they do carry their cellphones.
"I've been to some remote places where the app has been a godsend. It's safer for the tourists as well."
Laas uses his coffee van, with the slogan "Wake up and smell the coffee", as a form of ministry as well by sharing uplifting information with his customers.
He only works for a few hours in the mornings as his inverter runs out of power and in some of the places he makes his stops there are no generators allowed. - Thulani Gqirana
