Kiva Iowa profile: ‘I love everything coffee’

IOWA CITY — Rachael Scott was a big believer in her mobile coffee business.

She had to be, after all. She opened it during a pandemic.

“I wasn’t sure if the business was going to survive at first,” she says of Cafe On The Go, a mobile cafe that specializes in handcrafted beverages and locally produced pastries.

"Finding funding for the business during that time was hard,“ she adds. ”But I had a lot of support, and I knew that this was what I wanted to do, so we made it happen. And we’re still going strong.”

Scott, originally from Chicago, has lived in Iowa for the past 16 years. She has a background in hotel and restaurant management, but she says that once she tried coffee roasting, she “fell in love with everything about it.”

Before long, she wanted a roasting business of her own.

“I chose mobile because there are a lot of places here in my community where it is hard to get coffee and tea beverages, or there are a limited amount of options,” she says.

Scott purchased a pop-up camper that she converted into a concession trailer.

But by the time she opened in Feburary of 2021, Iowa City — like the rest of the world — was less than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic.

She relied on her past management background, her experience with the Venture School at the University of Iowa and support from First Presbyterian Church in Iowa City to get by.

Kiva loan

Scott also turned to Kiva Iowa for help with purchasing new equipment, including an espresso machine, commercial grinder and retractable walls that could allow Cafe On The Go to operate its trailer during the winter months.

“Our goal is to raise enough working capital in one year so that we can expand our business and add one more trailer to our mobile cafe business,” she says. “My goal in a few years is to have at least two mobile units so that I can share my passion with more people in my community."

Kiva gives entrepreneurs access to a microlending platform to raise zero-interest, zero-fee, extended-grace- period loans. The loans can be for up to $15,000, and lenders can give as little as $25 at a time.

“It was a great process,” Scott says. “The application didn't take that long, and the thing that took the longest was uploading the photo to their website. I was actually shocked and amazed at how fast I got funded.

“The community really stepped in, and Kiva allows you to not have to deal with all the interest and fees.”

Next: Growth

Scott is already aiming to grow her business, with a goal of adding a second mobile unit within the next few years.

“I love everything coffee,” she said. “And knowing that I'm bringing something to the community that's needed is a plus for me, too.

“It does get stressful, but, for the most part, it's helping me to get out of my shell and provide a service that the community needs.”

To learn more about Café On The Go, visit it on Facebook or its website, thecafeonthego.com. To learn more about Kiva Iowa, visit newbo.co/kiva.

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