Mobile Bicycle Espresso Bar WAFI Coffee Is Roving LA’s Streets | Eater LA
"Operating as a mobile espresso bar since December 2023, WAFI Coffee was launched by Dennis Garsinii after he moved to Los Angeles; I learned he even rode his 120-pound bicycle outfitted with an espresso machine 15 miles from Santa Monica to East Hollywood — a hard, hour-long, hilly lesson. The roving cart is usually parked in popular pedestrian zones like Westwood Village, Rancho Park, Pan Pacific Park, and Century City (near his home in Beverly Glen), where he pulls espresso shots and pours cold brew. Named for the West African Farmers Initiative that Garsinii co-founded with his college roommate Shane Himmelman in 2020 to train farmers and improve their market access, WAFI sources beans from that West African network and he roasts most of the coffee himself; the current menu features arabica beans from Liberia and Cameroon, with Liberian arabica described as fruit-forward and punchy, almost like eating a mango, while also tasting earthy and woody. After crowdsourcing funding in October 2023 (raising nearly $4,000 of a $7,700 goal), he bought a mobile espresso machine from Espresso Parts and a bike found online, powers the machine with a gas generator for now (planning a battery setup soon), and ensured the mobile setup complies with various municipal rules. Committed to keeping costs down rather than opening a brick-and-mortar so he can pass savings to customers, he plans to start selling beans online in May and emphasizes that WAFI’s business model provides farmers with much greater access to proceeds than the typical 1 percent they receive from a retail cup." - Mona Holmes
