Caffeine has never been more convenient. Three mobile coffee vendors serve the area’s sidewalks, parks, parking lots and street festivals.
The 22 Coffee Buggy can be found at the Oak Park Farmer’s Market on Saturdays and makes regular stops during the week at the main branch of the Oak Park Public Library and the Green Line stop on Ridgeland Avenue.
Owner Belinda Carucci had a shop in the city but had to close it during the Covid pandemic. While visiting her son, who was studying in Italy, she was inspired. “I loved the way they designed their coffee bars. It’s a culture,” she said.
Back in town, she began planning. First, she had to make sure the village would license a wagon like hers. Then she found the trailer she wanted, which was built overseas, although she designed the interior herself. By Memorial Day 2023, the business was ready to launch.
Carucci is stocked with Lavazza Italian coffee and serves a selection of espresso drinks, including decaffeinated and milk. A speciality is the Sweet Mary: condensed milk, foamed milk and espresso. For non-coffee drinkers, there is cioccolato (hot chocolate) and a select selection of canned drinks.
Carucci says the best thing is “when a whole group of people drink coffee and chat. That’s simply the best. Coffee and community belong together.”
Spoke Café was a step up from the lemonade stands of Alec Olson’s youth. Four years ago, he noticed the popularity of Nitro Cold Brew Coffee in his father’s office. His parents are his partners, but he handles the brewing and sales. The OPRF senior often wakes up at 4:30 a.m. to prepare.
The beans for his exclusive Bicycle Blend Coffee are roasted at Whirlwind Coffee on Madison Street. And Olson sells bean subscriptions and donates 20% of every bag sold to Beyond Hunger.
Made by Oregon-based Icicle Tricycle, the pedal-powered cart has two taps: one for coffee and one for root beer. In warmer months, Olson brings ice cream to make coffee and root beer floats.
Olson rides his bike up to 15 miles on weekends, traveling from one street festival to the next. He also stops at Dominican University’s Wednesday concert series. For events booked further away, Olson pushes the bike into his family’s van to get around faster.
“I’m not going to go to college with Spoke money,” Olson said. “As an employee, I’m doing OK. As an investor, we’re almost there. We should have the car paid off this summer. But I’m definitely having a lot of fun.”
Zemi coffee cart is owned and operated by Dominique Betancourt. In 2023, she started brewing coffee for her neighbors in her garage. Her idea was to bring the culture and coffee of Puerto Rico to the area. Since Betancourt has been connected to the island for generations, she searched for her ideal coffee bean, which is native to the island. She tested 25 farms until she found the one she wanted.
Her next step was to buy a cart to transport the coffee. She bought the combination electric bike and cart from a Californian company called Ferla.
Zemi’s specialty is “a Latin American cafe con leche. Basically steamed milk that I gave a little different twist with a dash of vanilla,” said Betancourt. She also serves a range of filter and espresso drinks, as well as coco rico (hot chocolate) for kids and the young at heart. The cart also features a variety of milks and other cold drinks.
Zemi Coffee Cart can be found on East Avenue near Rehm Park Monday through Friday and at street fairs and other events on the weekends. The cart can be booked for events on their website.
Further information:
www.the22coffeebuggy.com
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zemicoffeecart.com