A woman buys a 1973 Airstream trailer and turns it into a $500,000-a-year business: “This is not a typical barista job”

Avery Amstutz, a 28-year-old from Memphis, Tennessee, managed to turn an old 1973 Airstream trailer into a business that brings in over $500,000 in gross revenue per year. The business is Byway Coffee Co., a mobile café that sells both great drinks and everyday experiences.

As Amstutz explained to CNBC, the heart of her coffee shop lies in the experience she and her team create for customers. “It’s not just about grabbing your daily coffee. We park all over the city. We’re open seven days a week. We might be at the park, at your school, or right in your neighborhood,” she says.

The novelty of the business comes from the trailer itself, which Amstutz purchased for just $6,000. She and her team aim to stand out from traditional coffee shops by making it possible for customers to find them anywhere in the city on any day of the week. However, a coffee shop on wheels is not the only secret behind Amstutz’s success.

The secret to growing the business

If one word defines Byway Coffee Co., it is change. The café not only moves locations constantly, but its products also rotate depending on the month. The name and the energy behind her company she explains is “coffee worth chasing around town.”

According to Amstutz, her team is always searching for new blends to innovate on flavors and create different drinks. “We have all different flavors. We have a new menu every month,” she explains.

Like many cafés, this type of business also experiences fluctuations in revenue. Currently, Byway Coffee Co. operates with profit margins ranging from 20 to 26 percent. Thanks to the trailer, Amstutz’s team does not have to pay rent, electricity costs are minimal, and gas expenses run between $15 and $20 per day.

For Amstutz and her team, this has been a highly innovative investment. In the first few months, Byway Coffee Co. generated only $11,000 to $18,000 in gross revenue. From that amount, they still had to deduct expenses such as gas, electricity, ice, and coffee, which Amstutz emphasizes is always high quality to set the business apart from competitors. Over time, the company reached monthly revenues of $30,000, $40,000, and even $50,000. Beyond constant innovation, the real secret to their success is hard work and consistency.

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