Coffee kiosks go green

By Catherine Amos

Published: July 3, 2008

Despite Starbucks’ recent announcement to close 600 stores nationwide, one local coffee chain owner is determined to keep coffee addicts caffeinated — and save the environment along the way.

John Brown, 41, is president of Gusto di Vita Coffee & Kiosks, a Rixeyville-based line of freestanding coffee shops in Culpeper, Warrenton, Orange and New Baltimore. The cookie-cutter models, once made from wood, will now come as prepackaged, readymade businesses from recycled shipping containers known as BizPods.

Brown, who has background in architecture and civil engineering, designed the BizPod with the help of the Intermodal Steel Building Association, a trade organization formed in 2007 to find uses for the surplus of nearly one million shipping containers in the United States. Brown said the ISBA contacted him about using the steel boxes for his kiosks, which at the time were wooden structures.

“(The ISBA) doesn’t make any money from this,” Brown said. “They gave me the idea and I thought it was a perfect fit. It really works out nice for us.”

The older model kiosk in Culpeper, located in the parking lot of the Southgate Shopping Center by Gold’s Gym, is a tight eight by eight foot structure. The new shipping container model would increase space to eight by 20 feet, providing room for storage or restrooms.

“This is an example of how not to build one of these kiosks,” Brown said of the Culpeper kiosk. “We’re hoping to change it out with one of the new models.”

The coffee and smoothie kiosk has been in Culpeper since 2001, though it initially resided in the parking lot outside Wal-Mart. Since moving to Southgate, Brown said the business has increased by at least 50 percent.

“It’s not very manly but (I order) a latte most of the time,” said Culpeper resident Scott Bothum of his daily order while waiting at the window. “The flavor of the coffee is really a lot better than Starbucks.”

As she blended an icy frappe Wednesday afternoon, Brandi Saadee, Gusto employee and Brown’s sister, said the small business sees a lot of regular customers.

“We have traffic all day long,” Saadee said. “Repeat customers are like clockwork; same customers every day, same drinks. We know their names and they know us and we’ll sit and chat for a few minutes.”

The “business in a box” kiosks are eco-friendly and can be shipped anywhere worldwide because the structures are made from sturdy steel originally intended for shipping. Brown said he has already received interest from a client in Canada to order one of his readymade businesses.

Gusto di Vita joins other companies in the trend to convert shipping containers into homes, offices, schools, apartments and hotels. According to the ISBA, other companies that are promoting the green building concept are Travelodge, Sun Microsystems, Illy Coffee and UNIQLO clothing stores.

Not only are the structures recycled, but Brown said they were extremely tough and safe and could stand up to any local conditions, “even tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons and earthquakes.” The structures are insulated with “space age” ceramic insulation paint externally and compact spray foam insulation internally, Brown said, plus use LED lighting inside.

“After three years of operating the original kiosks, we were very displeased with the quality and layout of the buildings,” Brown said. “I spent all my weekends maintaining them. I wanted to do a high quality building and came up with what we thought was an ideal arrangement. This is a very strong, long-life, low-maintenance structure.”

As for the economy’s effect on coffee lovers, Brown did not seem worried.

“For most people, a cup of coffee still amounts to a luxury they can afford,” he said. “I think what Starbucks is doing is a result of their management practice instead of the industry per se.”

Catherine Amos can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 138 or .