Tucson has an active bicycle community, and Jaime Arrieta caters to that crowd with his mobile, bike-up café, Peddler on the Path.
Peddler on the Path Mobile Café sets up shop almost every Saturday and Sunday morning behind the Windmill Inn at St. Philip’s Plaza, and also shows up at some special events, Rialto Theatre shows and even weddings. (See the Web site for Arrieta’s schedule.)
Arrieta serves up gourmet coffee imported from Italy, smoothies, teas, fruit, Clif Bars, Gatorade and the occasional bit of biscotti. Drinks are served in eco-friendly to-go cups that are dressed with cork sleeves.
The café is actually a modified 1964 Kaiser Jeep. Arrieta says it took him a year to strip down the truck and transform it into a working coffee stand. The motor was replaced by a generator, and the gas tank was removed in favor of water and wastewater tanks.
The café offers seating, tables, shading and tunes. At the front of the café, there is a small “wrench at your own risk” workspace and tire pump. Arrieta even keeps a small stock of bicycle inner tubes and offers a key-check service for runners or bicyclists.
“This is something I envisioned and made up on the saddle of my bike,” Arrieta says. “I really enjoy seeing people sit and sip espresso and then get back on to riding.”
This article appears in Mar 18-24, 2010.