For Scott Paterson, a passion for coffee and a background in retailing have neatly combined in his drive-through coffee chain, One for the Road.
For Scott Paterson, a passion for coffee and a background in retailing have neatly combined in his drive-through coffee chain, One for the Road.
Four years in the making, the company opened its first store in Peppermint Grove last month and is set to open another in Currumbine in the next 10 weeks.
Three other metro stores are scheduled to open between December and February, and a fifth is planned for Kalgoorlie in early January.
Mr Paterson, who owns three Video Ezy stores as part of a family business of 22 stores in WA, said he had been attracted by the prospects of the coffee industry.
“Coffee is the second highest traded commodity in the world market and hopefully it’s recession-proof,” he said.
A reconnaissance trip to a United States coffee festival in 2003 kicked off the project for Mr Paterson and his wife, Kyla.
Two years later, the couple converted a Ford Transit van into a mobile coffee outfit and began servicing major events and venues, including the WACA ground, speedway events and country agricultural shows.
The maiden site in Peppermint Grove was acquired just over a year ago, followed by ground leases at four other locations.
Mr Paterson said securing triple-A sites had been the biggest challenge to date.
“As a franchise, you’re more open to A, B and C sites, but franchisees would struggle with those,” he said.
While there are no set plans to franchise the business, Mr Paterson said he would consider it within the next two years.
“If we did go into franchising, we’d be strict on the way things happen and protective of our brand,” he said.
“I see more benefit in keeping it corporate. We’ve got the capital to do that and it keeps our quality where we want it.”
The company sources its product from local suppliers, with Willyabrup-based Yahava Koffee Works providing the coffee, and Northcliffe-based dairy, Bannister Downs, supplying milk.
Mr Paterson said the company was focused on producing a high quality product.
“We’ll never get to the point where we pull [coffee] shots before the customer is at the window,” he said.
An interstate expansion of the business is planned in the next year, which will follow moves by the company’s major established competitor, Muzz Buzz, into South Australia and Victoria.
While One for the Road will be opening near several of the 17 Muzz Buzz outlets in WA, Mr Paterson said the market was big enough for three or four drive-through coffee chains.