(KRON) — When Tesla's Cybertruck is seen on the road, for better or for worse, people will stop and look at the controversial vehicle. The pickup truck itself will attract people's attention.
Now imagine being served coffee from a Cybertruck.
That's what you'll find every Sunday at the Cupertino Farmers Market, where Min Wood and Mabel Yong started Moonwake Coffee Roasters. Espresso machines, water heaters, and various coffee makers are powered by the Cybertruck.
But the owners don't want the focus to shift away from their main product: coffee.
“For better or worse, it’s a very polarizing vehicle,” Yang said. “I hope the visuals grab people’s attention.
“It's still about coffee, and we want to keep people here and engage them in conversations about coffee as well. And the truck is the vehicle and tool to make those conversations happen.”
Running the entire business out of Elon Musk-branded trucks was “certainly a crazy decision,” Wood said. Perhaps you also quit your well-paying, stable job in the tech industry.
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I quit my technology job to run a coffee business using Cybertruck.
Wood says his passion for coffee began in 2018 when he was an engineer at Tesla, where he started an office club where he and his colleagues could brew coffee together and ease stressful times at the office.
Moonwake Coffee Roasters officially began roasting in 2020, according to its website, as casual office coffee brewing continues. Wood ultimately left Tesla earlier this year to focus on the business.
During the pandemic, Wood took Yong, who was working at Meta at the time, on a coffee trip. As the next few years passed, the couple saw their customer base grow. After that, Yeung realized that running his Moonwake Coffee Roasters was more fun for him. She then quit her job at Meta in 2023.
A first-generation Cupertino native whose parents immigrated from Hong Kong, Yen comes from a family in the food and beverage industry. His grandparents owned a Chinese restaurant in Fresno. She says her hospitality and serving food and drinks are part of her expression of love.
“You only have so much time on earth. For me, it was about doing something that had an impact on the people around me,” Yong said. “Before I did this, working in a large company, it was easy to lose yourself and feel like a small cog in a machine. As opposed to when you serve someone coffee and see that reaction. That's very powerful, and you don't get that every day in big companies.”
The son of a Chinese mother and a white American father, Wood was born in Indiana and spent most of his youth in Singapore. After graduating, Tesla became his first full-time job and he has lived in California ever since.
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Why did they use the Cybertruck?
Before launching the Cybertruck in February, Moonwake Coffee Roasters had to use multiple battery packs from its gas-powered pickup truck because generators weren't allowed at farmers markets. Ta.
Trying to power two machines, a kettle, and a sink became “too much” with the current settings. The couple then faced a crossroads in deciding between moving to a full trailer or purchasing an electric truck. Wood worked for an electric vehicle company, so he knew what electric trucks were capable of.
“It was a perfect fit for the equipment we were looking for,” Wood said of the Cybertruck. “When it comes to electric trucks, there aren't many powering options. The Cybertruck has a lot of technological advantages that other trucks don't have.”
Yeung said he wants to maintain the “open and transparent interaction with customers” that Cybertruck offers.
“There are no walls,” she said. “We set it up so customers can see the entire process.”
In a blog post on their website, Moonwake Coffee Roasters lists four reasons for moving to Cybertruck.
MORE POWER Maintain open customer engagement Flexibility to test and share insights on different equipment and workflows Enjoy
The full blog post, which details each of the four reasons, can be found on our website.
Advantages and disadvantages of coffee business using Cybertruck
Yeung said the pro is the vehicle's portability, which may not be the case when driving from a trailer truck. Wood said it's much more efficient for professionals to drive business from the Cybertruck.
According to Wood, towing a trailer loaded with all his gear uses more power than serving coffee at the Cupertino Farmers Market for five hours: The 10-mile drive from his home to the market uses up about 10 percent of the truck's battery.
In total, a working day consumes approximately 30 percent of the battery.
In the previous setup, Wood had to bring separate power banks and plug them all in, which can cause problems if he forgets to charge one of the power banks the night before. In the Cybertruck, Wood said all the plugs are centrally connected to his one location at the back of the vehicle.
According to Yeung, some drawbacks of the Cybertruck include the fact that it can't be popped up indoors and that it is dependent on the weather.
Another drawback, Yeung said, is that some people have very negative opinions about the Cybertruck, which could put them off coffee.
“The negative is that a lot of people have their own opinions about this truck,” Yen said. “Some people actually said, 'I won't buy from this coffee roaster because of the Cybertruck.'”
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The future of Moonwake Coffee Roasters
Taking advantage of the Cybertruck's mobility, the couple considered the idea of hosting a pop-up in Yosemite. Yeung said she plans to open a cafe roastery in West San Jose by the end of the year.
Moonwake Coffee Roasters is open every Sunday from 9am to 1pm at the Cupertino Farmers Market at De Anza College. You can also order coffee on the Moonwake Coffee Roasters website.
