8 Oz Coffee, Thiruvananthapuram’s first coffee truck, sells premium varieties at affordable rates

This latest addition to Thiruvananthapuram’s food truck scene started by Muhammed Shan, an expat, claims to use coffee beans imported from Italy

Muhammed Shan’s day at 8 Oz Coffee starts at 4pm, with a rhythmic yet unpleasant sound of his red diesel generator revving as he prepares to set up for the day. He carefully arranges the glass and plastic bottles containing different ingredients on a counter facing the truck’s window. It is through this window that he serves his customers coffee prepared in his Italian espresso machine. Slowly, customers start showing up. Some of them set out for coffee while others halt their journeys to learn more about this latest addition to Kowdiar’s convoy of mobile kitchens. 

This three-week-old establishment is Thiruvananthapuram’s only coffee truck, claims its owner, 25-year-old Shan, who set out to deliver a tall order of serving premium coffee to his customers at an affordable rate after having served himself as a delivery boy at a coffee shop in Abu Dhabi for two-and-a-half years.  

Shan serves varieties of coffees such as Cappuccino, Latte, Americano, Mocha and Affogato, a type of hot espresso coffee served on a scoop of vanilla ice cream, all priced between ₹100 and ₹120, depending on the serving size. The truck also sells a wide range of lattes such as Spanish, Caramel, Hazelnut, Pistachio, Vanilla, Honey, Butterscotch and Irish.

The coffees are served in paper cups of 8oz and 12oz sizes, which was also Shan’s logic behind naming his vision, 8 Oz Coffee.

“I loved it despite not being a coffee lover,” says Ananthu Krishna, 26, after he had the Spanish Latte, which Shan considers to be his specialty and the most popular item on the menu.

Ever since his return to India three months ago, Shan has been working day and night to bring this concept to life, after having to go through many formalities to receive a permit from the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. “However, both the corporation and the Motor Vehicle Department have been very cooperative in helping us set up here,” he says.

Shan says he got the idea for a coffee truck having seen many in Abu Dhabi. He adds, “I learnt these skills from my previous job, and I started thinking why can’t I start something similar in my hometown.”

Currently residing in Palode, Shan drives around 45 kilometres every day to set up shop in Kowdiar, except on Thursdays. He resides with his mother, Shanifa Salim, who says that he rarely makes coffee at home. “He occasionally cooks fried rice and mathi (sardines),” she says playfully.

8 Oz Coffee is parked on Kowdiar-Kuravankonam Road from 4 pm to 10 pm on all days except Thursdays.

Published - September 25, 2024 04:11 pm IST