Start up with a mobile matcha cart: Work 4 hours in the morning, pocket millions of dong

(Dan Tri) - In just 4 hours in the morning, a mobile matcha cart can sell more than 100 cups, bringing in millions in revenue, becoming an attractive startup choice for many young people.

More than 100 cups of matcha sold every day, revenue of tens of millions of dong

In recent times, matcha (the finely ground powder of green tea leaves) has remained a culinary trend favored by many young people. Grasping this taste, many young people have quickly started a business with a mobile matcha cart model. With low investment costs and flexible mobility, this form of business brings significant profits if operated effectively.

Thanh Son (born in 1999, residing in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City) is the owner of Son Caffé matcha take-away coffee cart - a startup model based on a passion for doing business in the F&B sector. With a capital of about 30 million VND, Son started operating at the beginning of this year, reaching the milestone of 150 cups after only 2 weeks of opening. With 4 hours each morning, the cart serves 100-120 cups stably, with revenue ranging from 2-3 million VND/day, of which matcha contributes about 65%.

Before operating, Son spent a lot of time testing the recipe, adjusting it based on the actual taste in the business area. Identifying the main customer group as people going to work in the morning who need speed and convenience, Son chose the take-away model instead of opening a fixed shop.

He also focuses on customer experience, from vehicle design, cups, labels to service style, all are carefully crafted to build a neat and professional image.

With the spirit of a young entrepreneur, Hai My (born in 2000) - owner of the Sau Giom sidewalk matcha cart in Cu Chi district - started the model with a capital of only 8 million VND and recovered the capital after nearly 2 months. The customers are mainly students, accounting for about 70% of the total orders, with revenue reaching more than 1 million VND/day.

Thanh Son successfully started a business with a mobile matcha cart model (Photo: NVCC).

In the 4th month of operation, revenue increased 4 times thanks to a content that went viral on social networks, attracting more than 1.6 million views, helping the name become widely known.

Song My also faced many challenges from shaping the right taste to making mistakes in predicting the initial customer base. Taking advantage of social media platforms as a cost-effective marketing channel, the matcha cart owner combined seasonal and holiday packaging designs to retain customers and create a sense of freshness.

Although My believes that the matcha market is saturated, she remains optimistic and sees the startup journey as an opportunity to learn. She currently has no plans to expand, but continues to focus on the take-away model in Ho Chi Minh City to optimize costs and maintain product quality.

However, not everyone who enters the matcha market can easily reap success . Tuan Tu (born in 1997, HCMC) decided to start a business with a matcha take-away shop model after seeing the trend "taking over" among young people. But after only 3 months, Tu was forced to close due to losses.

“The total initial investment cost was more than 25 million VND, including purchasing machinery, materials and designing the vehicle/cabinet. Although we expected to earn about 1.5-2 million VND/day, the actual revenue was only an average of 400,000 VND,” Tu added.

Accordingly, he said the main reason comes from too much competition, within a radius of only a few hundred meters, there are 4-5 similar matcha shops. In addition, the shop's location is out of sight, the drinks have no highlights and the lack of a promotional strategy makes the shop unable to attract customers. While the cost of premises, materials and labor is increasing, the revenue is not enough to cover the loss.

According to data from Kantar Worldpanel, a UK-based multinational market research group, the consumption of matcha-related products in Vietnam has increased 2-3 times over the past three years. Notably, young people and office workers - two dynamic customer groups - are willing to spend an additional 10,000-20,000 VND for each cup of matcha if the quality is guaranteed.

This explosion in consumer demand is driving many new business models, notably the trend of mobile matcha carts in major cities. With eye-catching designs, flexible locations and reasonable prices, sidewalk matcha carts not only meet the need for quick refreshment but also become a symbol of a modern, convenient lifestyle.

Expert: Easy to start but hard to sustain

Talking to Dan Tri newspaper reporter, Master Tran Luc Thanh Tuyen, Lecturer of Economics Faculty, University of Economics and Law, Ho Chi Minh City National University, the model of sidewalk beverage carts - especially matcha carts - is flourishing thanks to meeting the needs of convenience, new experiences and healthy consumption trends of urban youth.

Gen Z runs a mobile matcha cart, earning millions of dong in revenue every day (Photo: NVCC).

Matcha has emerged as a representative of the healthy beverage group, attracting price-sensitive but lifestyle-conscious customers.

However, according to the expert, to develop sustainably, this model cannot remain small and spontaneous. Long-term survival depends on many factors from sidewalk planning, raw material costs, operating capacity to the ability to adapt to the rapidly changing tastes of young people. Competitive pressure is also increasing as the market sees the emergence of large chains and foreign brands with strong financial potential.

Ms. Tuyen believes that sidewalk beverage carts are a suitable choice for young people to experiment with a business model with low capital, flexibility and easy market access. However, the biggest barrier is unclear legality, difficulty in maintaining a fixed sales position and easy to lose steam when the "trend" passes.

“Startups should consider this as a stepping stone, from mobile vehicles they can develop into kiosks, then small stores to increase stability,” Ms. Tuyen recommended.

According to Master Tran Nguyen Anh Thu - Lecturer of Communication Technology,FPT University, the matcha car model is considered a suitable choice in the context of many economic difficulties, due to the low initial investment cost. However, the "easy to do" also makes the market quickly saturated, competition is increasingly fierce in terms of location and price.

To maintain competitive advantage, Ms. Thu advised startups to focus on four strategic pillars: location, product, brand and operation.

In terms of location, the car should be placed in areas with high traffic and the right customer base such as universities, walking streets, office buildings or shopping malls. The space needs to be airy, convenient for take-away, and ideal if it creates a check-in point that spreads strongly on social networks. In addition, legal and hygiene factors need to be strictly followed.

In terms of products, matcha needs to be positioned as a symbol of a green and modern lifestyle. From the flavor, packaging to the name, everything must be consistent and easy to impress young people.

In terms of branding, startups should invest in a consistent image from vehicle design, employee uniforms, signs to customer communication. Each point of sale needs to become a “style destination”, not just a drink counter.

In terms of operation, despite its small scale, this model still requires professionalism. Staff need to be properly trained in bartending and customer service. When expanding, it is necessary to establish clear processes to ensure stable quality and easy replication.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/start-up-voi-xe-matcha-di-dong-lam-4-tieng-buoi-sang-bo-tui-ca-trieu-dong-20250827111511077.htm