From Cups to Carts: A Brief History of Coffee Shops

They say the hardest part of starting your own mobile coffee catering service is inventing coffee. Luckily, that part has already been taken care of, though its exact origins have reached an almost mythical status.

One legend states that a 9th-century goat herder named Kaldi noticed how “spirited” his goats became after eating berries from a certain tree. Kaldi ran to the local monastery with his observations, where a monk then created a brew from the same berries and found he was able to stay up much later praying.

What is known is that coffee cultivation and trade began on the Arabian Peninsula sometime during the 15th century.  The popularity of the drink increased rapidly, and by the 16th century, the sale and growth of coffee had spread to Egypt, Turkey, and Syria.

Towards the middle of the 17th century, coffee as we know it today was introduced to the United States through New York.  The country’s oldest coffee merchant, Gillies Coffee, got its start in NY in 1840, and by 1876 the U.S. was importing a third of the world’s coffee supply.

Towards the end of the 19th century, NYC witnessed a boom of street food in the form of food trucks and wagons showing up on every corner. Coinciding with the increase in the popularity of coffee, it wasn’t long before mobile coffee carts began showing up on street corners as well.  

The popularity of the drink did not stop there either. As of today, there are at least 3400 coffee shops and coffee carts in New York City alone. It’s no wonder New York has earned the title of “the city that never sleeps”!