Office morning
a day, from$390
- Team meetings, launches and welcome days
- Set up before the first meeting starts
- Repeat mornings on one monthly invoice
- Oat and soy poured for every team
Real espresso, wheeled to your event
Little Grinder brings a hand built espresso cart, a trained barista, the grinders, beans, milks and cups to weddings, office mornings and markets. Tell us the day, roughly how many guests are coming and the spot where the cart will stand, and an answer follows within two working days.
45 minutesof set up before the first cup
One socketon its own circuit, or our battery
Two daysto answer each date request
Everything rides in on the cart
The cart carries a two group espresso machine, one grinder for the house beans and a second kept for decaf, so the two never share a burr. Beans come from a roaster in the city and are used within three weeks of roasting.
Milks, cups, lids, sugar, stirrers and napkins travel with us, along with sealed water tanks and a bin for the used grounds. When service ends we pack it all away and leave the spot as we found it.
- A barista in an apron, never a vending machine
- Cow's milk, oat and soy on every booking
- Compostable cups, or the venue's china if it has some
- Grounds and waste water taken away with us
Three ways to hire the cart
Prices include the cart, a barista, beans, three milks and cups for venues within 60 km of the garage. Any package can stay longer at $90 for each extra hour.
Wedding day
a day, from$720
- Coffee after the ceremony or with the cake
- A menu card printed with your names
- A second barista for more than 120 guests
- Liqueur coffees if the venue licence allows them
Market or festival
a day, from$540
- Guests can buy their own cups instead
- Iced drinks added on warm days
- A spare grinder for long queues
- Our canopy if the pitch has no cover
We invoice a quarter of the price as a deposit when your date is confirmed, and the remainder a week ahead of the event. Travel past 60 km is charged at cost and shown in the quote before anything is paid.
Power, space and water: what the cart needs
Most venues can host the cart without changing a thing. Check these rows with your venue before you ask for a date, and tell us about anything that does not fit.
| Need | What we ask for | If the venue cannot offer it |
|---|---|---|
| Power | One socket on its own circuit within 25 metres of the cart | Our battery unit runs four hours of service for $60 |
| Space | A level patch about 2.5 by 2 metres, plus room for a queue | A counter version that fits on a 1.8 metre table |
| Water | Nothing at all, as we bring 40 litres in sealed tanks | Days over five hours need a tap nearby for refills |
| Waste | Nothing, since grounds and waste water leave with us | Nothing to arrange |
| Access | A level route or a lift from the van to the spot | Two of us carry the cart up a short flight of steps |
| Cover | A roof or shelter for outdoor events | We bring a canopy 3 metres square |
Sockets, circuits and the rules for cooking and serving outdoors differ by country and by venue, so we confirm every detail with the venue manager before the day.
Milks, allergens and what goes in each cup
A printed allergen card stands on the cart at every event, and the barista can show the label on any milk, syrup or bake. Allergen labelling law is not the same everywhere, and the cart keeps to whichever rules govern the town hosting the event.
Cow's milk
Whole milk goes into most drinks unless a guest asks otherwise. The steam wand is purged and wiped between every jug, but all milks are steamed on one machine.
Oat and soy
Oat is the plant milk we pour by default. Oats can carry gluten unless the carton says otherwise, and soy milk contains soya, so both are named on the card.
Nuts
No nut milks or nut syrups travel with the cart unless a host asks for them in writing. If a guest has a nut allergy, tell us and we keep them off the cart.
Syrups
Vanilla, caramel and spiced syrups, each in its labelled bottle. Guests with an allergy should read the label at the cart before ordering a flavoured drink.
Biscuits and bakes
Small bakes come from a neighbourhood bakery with a full ingredient list. They contain wheat, egg and milk, and we bring the list with them.
Serious allergies
A shared counter cannot promise zero traces of any allergen. Tell us about guests with serious allergies when you book, and we plan the menu around them.
Decaf has a grinder of its own, so a decaf is never ground through the regular beans.
The drinks board
Every drink is made to order by the barista. Hosts can trim the board to speed up a queue or add iced drinks for a hot afternoon.
- Espresso
- Double espresso
- Americano
- Flat white
- Cappuccino
- Latte
- Cortado
- Mocha
- Hot chocolate
- Chai latte
- Iced latte
- Cold brew
- Loose leaf tea
- Any drink as decaf
For weddings we print a menu card with your names and the drinks you pick. Six or seven drinks on the card keep the line moving while everyone still finds a favourite.
Where the cart has stood
Lawns, atriums, barns and market streets, with the same cart and the same care in every cup.
Said over a second cup (example reviews)
Guests drifted from the ceremony straight to the cart and the barista knew every order by the third round. The menu card with our names is now framed in the hallway.
Set up before our team arrived, served eighty flat whites and lattes without a queue building, and the atrium was spotless by eleven.
The cart ran on its own battery all day at the craft fair, which mattered because our field has no power. Stallholders kept coming back for refills.
Before you book the cart
How many drinks can one barista make in an hour?
Around sixty milk drinks an hour at a steady pace. For more than 120 guests who all want coffee at once, such as after a ceremony, we add a second barista and a second machine group.
Can guests pay for their own drinks?
Yes, at markets, fairs and open events. The host pays a lower booking fee and guests buy their cups at the cart. For weddings and office mornings the host covers every drink.
Does the cart work indoors?
Yes. It fits through a standard double door, it makes no smoke and the battery unit is silent. We only need the level space and the socket listed above.
Can we use the venue's cups and saucers?
Gladly. Tell us when you book and we bring fewer paper cups. The venue washes its own china, and we leave the used cups stacked where it asks.
Are you registered and insured to serve at events?
The cart is registered with the food safety authority where we are based and carries public liability insurance. Venues and markets often ask for copies, which we send with the confirmation. Requirements vary by country and by local council.
What happens if it rains?
The canopy covers the barista and the queue. If the weather turns badly against an outdoor event, we move the cart indoors at the same venue without any extra charge.
Ask whether your date is open
Send the date, the time coffee should start and where the cart will stand. Within two working days you hear back: the date is yours, a nearby date is offered, or the cart is already promised elsewhere.
- Your date stays open to others until we confirm it in writing
- The deposit is invoiced directly after we confirm
- We check power, space and access with your venue
Reach the cart team
Phone on weekdays while the cart is in the garage. At weekends the team is pouring, so email and we answer on Monday.
Call or write
Cart garage on the east side of the city, serving events within 60 km
When we pick up
| Monday to Friday | 08:00 to 16:00 for calls |
| Saturday and Sunday | At events, email only |
Taste before you book
Couples and office managers can visit the cart garage on a weekday morning to taste the house espresso and an oat flat white. Tastings take twenty minutes and are by appointment.
Arrange a tasting