The Small Business Container Café

The  Small Business Container Café

A Flexible Café Solution for Growing Businesses

If your hospitality business is ready to expand, relocate or establish a new trading point, the Ubuntu Small Business Container Café offers a practical and flexible alternative to conventional construction.

African Containers Hub can transform a new shipping container into a fully fitted café that can be delivered to your site ready for final service connections.

Instead of spending months building a permanent structure, a container café can be manufactured and fitted out off-site while your business prepares its new location.

Once delivered, the unit can be connected to the required services and prepared for trading.

Built for Small Business Growth

A 20ft High Cube shipping container provides a compact but highly usable footprint for a café, takeaway outlet or coffee shop.

Container cafés can be particularly useful for:

• Shopping centres and retail developments
• Display-home villages
• Business parks
• Offices and commercial properties
• Hospitals and medical facilities
• Schools and universities
• Sports clubs
• Petrol stations and roadside developments
• Construction and mining sites
• Tourist attractions
• Resorts and lodges
• Markets and event venues
• Industrial facilities

A containerised café can also be relocated or repurposed if your business requirements change.

Key Benefits

Portable

Your café can be transported to another location when required, making the investment more flexible than a conventional permanent structure.

Customisable

The internal layout, serving windows, counters, equipment and services can be designed around your menu, workflow and customer volumes.

Efficient Construction

Much of the modification and fit-out can be completed off-site, helping reduce the amount of construction activity required at your final location.

Secure

The underlying shipping-container structure provides a strong foundation that can be enhanced with security doors, shutters, locks, CCTV and other security features.

Scalable

Start with a compact 10ft or 20ft café and expand later with additional containers if your operation grows.

The 20ft High Cube Café Configuration

The example configuration is based on a 20ft High Cube Shipping Container with a range of modifications designed specifically for hospitality use.

External & Structural Inclusions

• Brand-new 20ft High Cube shipping container
• African Containers Hub 3-Coat Custom Paint System
• 6m awning with 1300mm H gas struts
• Corrugated container-profile infill to awning
• 50mm EPS insulation
• Single personnel access door
• Flush-fit deadlock
• Door dimensions: 820mm W x 2100mm H
• Removable external counter
• Counter dimensions: 1950mm L x 350mm D
• Timber counter surface
• Vinyl flooring
• Vinyl floor waste outlet

Professional Café Interior

The internal fit-out can be configured to provide an efficient workflow from preparation through to customer service.

The example café includes:

• Dedicated handwash basin
• Elbow-operated lever tap
• Handwash basin dimensions: 500mm W x 500mm D
• Hand soap dispenser
• Paper towel holder
• Coffee machine waste receptacle
• Stainless-steel service counter:
  
  
• 2100mm W x 700mm D
• 150mm splashback
• Stainless-steel service counter:
  
  
• 1500mm L x 700mm D x 900mm H
• Stainless-steel service counter:
  
  
• 1200mm L x 700mm D x 900mm H
• Stainless-steel preparation counter with sink:
  
  
• 1500mm L x 700mm D
• 150mm splashback
• 5-star 6L/min chrome mixer tap
• Stainless-steel under-bench 2-door refrigerator
• Glass patissiere display unit
• 730L upright 2-door refrigerator
• Wall-mounted floating box shelving with four compartments
• 4 x standard ventilation vents

The exact equipment package can be changed according to your menu and business model.

Custom Electrical Fit-Out

The café can be supplied with a dedicated electrical installation designed around the equipment being used.

The example configuration includes:

• 3 x surface-mounted oyster lights
• 8 x 10amp DGPOs
• 2 x 15amp GPOs
• 3-phase circuit
• 18-pole distribution board
• 32amp 3-phase isolator
• 2 x 15amp circuits
• RCD circuit protection
• Junction box
• Wiring and conduit
• Electrical services concealed behind composite panel

Final electrical design should be confirmed according to the equipment schedule, site supply and applicable South African electrical requirements.

Designed Around Your Business

Your café doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s.

African Containers Hub can customise the container around your brand, menu, equipment and location.

Optional additions include:

• Additional serving windows
• Roller shutters
• Bi-fold windows
• Personnel doors
• Security doors
• External counters
• Awnings
• Timber or composite cladding
• Stainless-steel benches
• Coffee machines
• Commercial cooking equipment
• Refrigeration
• Freezers
• Display fridges
• Ice machines
• Sinks and plumbing
• Hot-water systems
• Air conditioning
• Additional insulation
• Ventilation and extraction
• Shelving and storage
• POS and data points
• CCTV
• Security systems
• Digital menu boards
• Corporate signage and branding

A Café That Can Move With Your Business

One of the biggest advantages of a container café is that the building itself can become a movable business asset.

If your business changes location, expands into another development or needs a temporary trading facility, the container can potentially be transported to its next location rather than being demolished and rebuilt.

For businesses operating across multiple developments or locations, multiple customised café containers can also be produced with consistent branding and layouts.

Available in 10ft, 20ft & 40ft

African Containers Hub can manufacture cafés and food-service units using:

• 10ft containers – compact coffee kiosks and takeaway outlets
• 20ft containers – complete small-business cafés
• 40ft containers – larger cafés and commercial food outlets
• Multiple containers – cafés with separate kitchens, storage, seating or service areas

From Delivery to Trading

A container café can be largely completed before it arrives at your property.

Once delivered, the final installation will depend on the site and may require connection to:

• Electrical supply
• Water
• Wastewater
• Gas, where applicable
• Data and telecommunications
• Other site-specific services

This approach can significantly simplify the on-site construction process compared with building an entire café from scratch.

African Containers Hub

Whether you’re opening your first coffee shop, expanding an established hospitality business or adding a café to an existing commercial development, African Containers Hub can turn a shipping container into a professional food-and-beverage facility designed around your operation.

Request a formal quote today, including delivery to your site.

WhatsApp: 063 726 0423

Available container sizes: 10ft, 20ft and 40ft.