On Saturday 15 January, Regency member Cafe2U - the UK's largest mobile coffee franchise, held their annual conference at the Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare (part of the Regency portfolio of businesses).

The annual conference brings together the Cafe2U head office team and franchise partners for a day of networking, training, support and fun. This year, the event was attended by a very special guest - 'Betsy' the world’s first totally emissions-free coffee van!

Cafe2U launched their electric van back in September 2021 and showcased the amazing vehicle - complete with a fully electric barista machine, oven and fridge - as part of this event. The coffee brand will be upgrading its fleet of almost 100 vehicles to electric over the next five years, saving approximately 12,672g of CO₂ per annum. 

This switch as part of the business's goal to become the UK’s first carbon neutral coffee company. The move means all the company’s diesel vehicles will be off the fleet well ahead of the Government’s ban on petrol and diesel vehicles, which comes into effect in 2030.

Cafe2u now use compostable paper cups and minimise their paper usage, and the business has introduced several other sustainability initiatives in recent years including the launch of a waste coffee grounds recycling scheme and replacing its plastic straws with paper alternatives in 2018. This is in addition to replacing the diesel generators in its vans with emission-free lithium-ion batteries in 2019.

Martyn Ward, Chief Executive at Cafe2U, said:

“Reducing our carbon footprint is absolutely vital to us and our customers so we’re always on the lookout for new ways to become even more sustainable. We are delighted to be leading the way in the mobile coffee market with our new zero emissions coffee vans which are a world first.

"As well as being better for the environment, electric vehicles will enable our franchisees to access indoor events and emission-free zones, amplifying our pro-sustainability message even further. To be the world’s first is testament to the progressive nature of our brand and the hard work both our head office and franchisees put in each and every day.”

Martyn Ward, Chief Executive at Cafe2U, said:

The Regency team were delighted to have attended the event and thoroughly enjoyed meeting with the new and existing franchise partners, and of course Betsy! A number of food, drink and non-food suppliers from within the Regency supplier network (currently supplying Cafe2U) also attended and showcased their products with plenty of samples for attendees.

The event continued into the evening with drinks, dinner and an awards ceremony. Overall, a fantastic event showcasing Cafe2u's many great sustainability initiatives and a great opportunity to meet with people face-to-face once again.

Cafe2U is the UK’s premier mobile coffee business and coffee van franchise provider. Their growing network of mobile café vans service customers in 'non-traditional' locations, such as office parks and community events.