Published January 19 2006 by Relish
David Wainer

If you want a bike similar to the one below, check out the Tri-Hauler in Center for Appropriate Transport's Catalog.

Coffee to go is taking on new meaning in Winston-Salem.

A coffee bar and a bike shop have teamed up to create a coffee shop on wheels - bicycle wheels, that is.

"Bikes and coffee always go together," said Bruce Hermann, the owner of Neighborhood Transportation, a bike shop at the corner of Liberty and Fifth streets in downtown Winston-Salem.

"When you travel on bike rides, there are three things you immediately find in any town: 1) a coffee shop 2) a Laundromat and 3) a bar. Coffee companies sponsor pro bike-racing teams. Culturally, coffee and bikes are very similar."

So Hermann and David Franklin and John Bryan, the co-owners of Krankies Coffee Bar inside The Werehouse, decided to take the fusion of coffee and bikes to a new level.

Hermann provided a recumbent bicycle that Krankies and the residents of The Werehouse, a communal arts venue at 211 E. Third St. in Winston-Salem, have outfitted with all of the equipment necessary for a full-service mobile coffee shop.

Starting today, the Werehouse crew will serve coffee and biscotti from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. Monday through Friday in front of the old courthouse at the corner of Fourth and Main streets. Drinks will range from the standard cup o' joe to more exotic espresso-based drinks.

Prices will range from about $1.75 to $4. To help introduce the bike to the community, all coffee drinks from the bike will be free today and Friday.

Krankies took over the Maria's Coffee franchise from original owner Maria Braucht in March. When Franklin and Bryan began thinking of ways to promote Krankies to the community, the idea of the coffee bike seemed to be the perfect solution.

"Since we're not in a foot traffic area, we were looking for a way to get our coffee out there to the public, without detracting from our initial location," Franklin said. "We toyed with different ideas, but the bike seemed like the best solution."

Werehouse residents Jeff Chapple and Tim Nolan will take turns manning the bike and selling the drinks. At the end of the day, they'll ride the bike down Liberty Street to Hermann's shop, where the bike, which features graphics by Henderson-Bromstead Art Co., will be parked overnight until the next day's shift.

All parties involved are excited about the collaboration.

"For the coffee shop, we want a place where all types of people can come together, and the bike will be an extension of that," Bryan said. "And Bruce is central to this, too - he has amazing bikes, and it's easy to interface with others in Winston-Salem, with some imagination and hard work."

Franklin agreed. "We have a good symbiotic relationship with the city. We've had a lot of momentum in this town. We want to take that inspiring energy and pass that along to the rest of the community."

"One of our hopes," Bryan said, "is that people will try the coffee, and then come check out the cafe."

At Krankies, a wide variety of coffees are available, from individual drinks to bulk sales of freshly roasted whole beans. Franklin said regular customers often call in orders ahead of time and have their own individual mix of beans waiting for them when they arrive.

Krankies imports fresh beans from California and New Jersey, then Krankies resident roaster Chris Leiser roasts the beans on site. Mary's Of Course cafe and The Zevely House serve their proprietary blends of Krankies coffee at their restaurants.

Krankies may offer 10 to 15 varieties at any time, including popular beans such as Colombian, Ethiopian Harrar and Guatemalan.

Hermann understands the long-term potential of the bike. "The more activities that happen on the street in downtown Winston-Salem, the more this will become a real town. And these guys are helping that become a reality."