Amid the frigid winter chill, people bundled up against the cold were drawn to an unexpected sight: a brightly-colored Volkswagen bus serving steaming cups of coffee. Customers lined up, seeking warmth for their frozen hands, eager to indulge in a hot drink. Jim and Denise Pressman sat behind the counter (retrofitted into the bus’s side door), ready to attend to customers during a winter festival in Yarmouth. It was one of the many events where Cape Codders could find the unique coffee shop on wheels.
Since the spring of 2024, Jim and Denise, owners of Press Ahead Coffee, have been serving freshly-brewed coffee, cold brews, lattes, espressos, mochas, cappuccinos, and tea to customers out of their retrofitted 1977 Volkswagen bus, affectionately named Mrs. Potts (after the Beauty and the Beast character).
The menu includes coffee and espresso drinks made with beans from Three Fins Coffee Roasters in West Dennis and Chatham, tea from Cape & Islands Tea in South Yarmouth, and a fan favorite: hot chocolate made with steamed whole milk. Snacks include granola bars from the local company Sea Nuts. The van also serves up pastries from Pelham on the Rise bakery.
The mobile business can cater to a crowd anywhere on the Cape – from a flea market in Sandwich, a farmers’ market in Chatham, to the parking lot of the home and garden store Agway of Dennis.
“I can’t believe how many people come up – it’s like a magnet. People fly to it,” said Jim. The VW bus’s nostalgic character draws customers in. Many share memories of their experiences in a VW bus, and they often buy something because it smells good. After all, they are grinding the beans fresh. “It’s as good as it smells,” said Jim. “But, people love Mrs. Potts.”
Despite the unique challenges of being a business on wheels, Jim says he is glad he made the career shift to do it. It wasn’t that long ago that Jim was working 40-hour weeks in advertising and living in Connecticut. After the family moved full-time to Cape Cod in 2017, Jim continued to commute to his former job during the week. However, the rat race began to take its toll, and he began looking for ways to start his own business – a “second act.” Meanwhile, Denise had established her own photography business on the Cape, Fleeting Moments, in 2011.
Dubbing themselves coffee connoisseurs, Jim immediately gravitated towards starting a business that involved his love. In the fall of 2023, he bought a camper, following in the steps of influencers on YouTube and Pinterest. Many converted old campers into coffee bars for weddings and events. He thought, “This is going to be fun.” However, he soon realized it needed much more work than it was worth, so he sold it.
Then, right before Christmas 2023, he found a ‘77 VW bus for sale on Facebook Marketplace. They drove to Rhode Island a week or two before Christmas to buy it, “Which is so out of character for us,” Jim said. Typically, they buy things methodically and with a guarantee it will work out. “We went to a perfect stranger,” said Jim. “We gave him cash, and Denise drove it home.” “It was a whirlwind,” Denise added. It didn’t help that she was driving the van with a broken window in cold, rainy weather back to the Cape without any heat.
They revamped the van through winter and early spring of 2024 by cleaning, painting, and retrofitting the inside. The business officially opened in April 2024 at a grand opening in West Dennis. Being mobile has allowed them to test the market in different Cape towns. However, obtaining permits from each town’s health department can be challenging when so few businesses are mobile on the Cape.
In addition, the tight conditions in the van are hard on the server, particularly Jim, who finds himself sweltering in the summer and freezing in the winter. Jim often leaves the window open to let customers know he is open and turns the heat on and off in the winter to avoid overpowering the generator.
The snug setting also limits the amount of stuff they can store. After all, said Jim, their fridge can only hold so many alternative milks and syrups, and they have decided to serve only one size of hot and cold drinks to save space. “It’s not for the faint of heart,” said Denise.
Now, they are searching for a brick-and-mortar location, ideally in Dennis or Harwich.
The Pressmans also hope to expand the business by taking Mrs. Potts to more private events, such as weddings and corporate gatherings. They are also adding more hoodies and T-shirt designs to their merchandise options.
“I think we did my life in reverse order,” joked Jim. “Because I used to work 40 hours, and now I think I’ve worked every holiday since we started and every weekend – it’s ridiculous.” Jim says he not only spends time serving up drinks at events but setting up and cleaning after. “But I love it,” said Jim. “When I’m actually doing it, it’s super fun.”
Press Ahead Coffee
PressAheadCoffee.com
