By Gabrielle Hall
Five years ago Jodi Weckert decided to give a mobile coffee van business a ‘red hot shot’ and now, 120,000 coffees and 75,000 kilometres later, her red coffee van is one of the Clare Valley’s most welcome sights.
Her Red Hot Shot Coffee van buzzes around Clare each weekday morning, pulling up at businesses and with a couple of honks on the horn, office workers come running for their morning coffee fix.
No day is the same, with some businesses requesting she visit on certain days, others every day – it is also common for regular passers-by to give her a toot or a thumbs up to put in their coffee order.
Come rain, hail or shine Jodi drives into Clare each day from her farmhouse near Brinkworth, about 20 minutes north west of Clare.
Jodi Weckert ready to serve from the Red Hot Shot van
“All our customers have honestly become really good friends – of course, they’re all coffee snobs and love their coffee and if I didn’t turn up each day then look out,” she laughs.
Weekends see Jodi and the Red Hot Shot van out and about at community events, football, netball and markets serving up the Adelaide-roasted La Crema coffee in her trademark red cups, and often with her trademark chocolate brownies.
The mobile coffee van was the perfect progression for Jodi, who established a successful local coffee shop and cafe, before having a “lightbulb moment” to go mobile.
The Red Hot Shot van on its travels
“I saw a place in the market for a mobile coffee service when I was running the coffee shop,” she says.
“I’d have people ringing up and putting in their coffee orders, then they’d have to leave work and walk or even drive down to collect bulk orders and I thought how much more productive these work places would be if they didn’t have to take 20 minutes a day picking up coffee.
“So I thought I would take it to them.
“People really love it… to have that five minutes where they can race out and grab a coffee, a brownie and maybe some lunch means they’re set for the day.
Jodi Weckert at work
“It’s also a great social catch up, you’d be surprised how much business is done at the back of my coffee van between customers who often use it as an informal meeting place.”
The mobile van also gives Jodi direct contact with her customers and ties in perfectly with her event catering business which has been up and running for 10 years.
Regional Awards Partners
