Der Kaffee Kombinationskraftwagen : Coffee Combi

It is on a 1973 Volkswagen Combi parked in ITB’s (Bandung Institute of Technology) campus – located on Ganeca street, Bandung – that Rahadika WN (a Communication management student from University of Padjajaran) opens his unique coffee stall everyday. He modified his Combi so it can be used as a business joint, started in late 2011. Due to its college-students dominated location, Dika adjusts the prices so one doesn’t have to pay over Rp. 15,000 to try all kinds of coffee beverages. With several other partners in Bandung, I visited Coffee Combi in one of Bandung’s festive centers which happen to come alive especially on the weekends.

Image 2: This is one of Coffee Combi’s specialties – its presentation is just as good as those found in modern cafés, isn’t it? Cappuccino with chocolate sauce – one of Coffee Combie’s most popular menu.

Using a car as a business venture isn’t new, but seeing a VW Combi which had been magically modified into a coffee shop was definitely a new and unique experience for me, seeing that it had also been reviewed for Coffee Story program hosted by Adi . Taroepratjeka. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Bandung, finding Coffee Combi shouldn’t be a difficult task as it is located in front of the main gate of ITB’s three campus buildings on Ganeca street, Juanda region, where all the factory outlets are. It’s open everyday from morning till 7 pm, expect on Sunday where it opens up to 3 pm only.

Inside, Coffee Combi is equipped with a BTC (bean to cup) espresso machine – also known as super automatic espresso machine – and it can be functioned with a generator for power. Although there was no need for a large capital to start this business, Dika always tried to use the best ingredient, including using syrups from well-known brands. Dika is also assisted by two baristas to serve the customers who are mainly college students. Don’t underestimate their profit though – in crowded times, Coffee Combi can serve up to dozens of cups of coffee everyday.

Image 3: Coffee Combi Barista. How does it feel working in such a confined space? Challenging for sure, but Juli is used to whipping up coffee in a Volkswagen Combi and he definitely does it with style!

In the beginning, it didn’t go as smoothly as expected, even more with the fact that the coffee they served was quite unusual when compared to the many food stalls around the campus offering instant coffees and the likes. But gradually, Coffee Combie piqued the students’ interests and with word-of-mouth advertising amongst them, Coffee Combi started to earn the recognition it deserved from this hustling and bustling part of the city. The next plan is to open another car stall as soon as they can find a permanent spot, so the ancient VW Combi doesn’t get too exhausted carrying the big bulky generator around.

Creativity surely has no limit, does it? Coffee Combi’s unique idea is a breath of fresh air when coffee can be served on a car and it already has quite loyal fans from all over Bandung. And with that, I shall end my review on Bandung’s super unique coffee stall that I visited this afternoon with my buddies Andy Kho, Chandra Kurnia, Hendrik Lukmana and Hendri Kurniawan.

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Catatan : Many thanks to Adi W. Taropertajeka for the address of  Coffee Combi. 

Di sebuah mobil Volswagen Combi tahun 1973 yang parkir di komplek kampus ITB, jalan Ganeca Bandung, Rahadika WN, mahasiswa Manajemen Komunikasi Unpad membuka kedai kopi uniknya setiap hari. Combi miliknya dimodifikasi sedemikian rupa sehingga bisa dijadikan tempat usaha yang baru dibuka sejak akhir tahun 2011. Karena berada di sekitaran kampus ITB, Dika tidak mematok harga tinggi, cukup merogoh kocek maksimal 15 ribu untuk berbagai menu kopi di sini.  Bersama beberapa rekan dari bandung saya berkunjung ke Coffee Combi di kawasan yang menjadi salah satu pusat keramaian di kota Bandung terutama pada akhir pekan.

Menjadikan mobil untuk usaha bukan hal yang baru,  tapi ini kali pertama saya mendatangi VW Combi yang disulap untuk dijadikan kedai kopi yang kebetulan pernah diliput untuk acara Coffee Story dengan host Adi W. Taropertajeka. Bagi Anda yang bukan penduduk Bandung, tidak usah khawatir karena lokasi Coffee Combi terletak di depan pintu 3 kampus ITB di jalan Ganeca, kawasan Juanda yang banyak bertebaran factory outlet. Buka setiap hari dari pagi hingga jam 7 malam, kecuali Minggu hanya dibatasi sampai jam 3 sore.

Di dalam mobil, Coffee Combi dilengkapi dengan mesin espresso tipe BTC (bean to cup) atau super otomatis dan fungsikan melalui sebuah genset untuk daya listriknya. Walau modal tak terlalu besar, Dika selalu mengusahakan bahan terbaik, termasuk sirup dari sebuah merek ternama. Dibantu oleh dua orang rekan kerja atau tepatnya barista yang melayani para pembeli terutama ditujukan untuk pasar mahasiswa. Jangan anggap enteng omzet mereka,  saat ramai, Coffee Combi bisa menyajikan hingga puluhan cangkir per hari.

Tentu usaha mereka pada awalnya tidaklah semulus yang diperkirakan, apalagi kopi adalah sajian yang cukup “aneh” di tengah banyaknya para banyak pedagang makanan pinggir jalan di kawasan kampus ITB. Tapi lama-kelamaan, para mahasiswa mulai tertarik dan mencoba termasuk promosi dari mulut ke mulut, Coffee Combi mulai banyak dikenal oleh publik kota yang semakin macet ini. Rencananya mereka malah akan segera membuka cabang lagi bila ada tempat permanen sehingga VW Combi antiknya tak terlalu kelelahan mengangkut genset yang maha berat itu.

Kreativitas tak mengenal batas bukan ? Ide unik Coffee Combi sungguh sangat menyegarkan saat kopi pun bisa disajikan dari sebuah jenis mobil yang punya banyak penggemar fanatik di kota Bandung. Demikian sekilas info kedai kopi super unik di kota Bandung yang saya sambangi tadi siang bersama para sohib Andy Kho, Chandra Kurnia, Hendrik Lukmana, serta Hendri Kurniawan.

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Catatan : Terima kasih untuk Adi W. Taropertajeka memberikan info alamat Coffee Combi.