A Stretch Tent Adventure To The Isle Of Man, UK: Flo the Cofee Van
Building a successful mobile catering business starts with a unique concept—identifying a market gap and delivering a service that stands out. When the team behind Flo the Coffee Van launched their mobile coffee venture on the Isle of Man, UK, they needed a versatile, weatherproof canopy to protect customers from unpredictable coastal weather.
Using a custom stretch tent for a coffee van setup allowed them to transform an open-air pitch into an inviting, protected outdoor café experience.
Tailoring a Custom Stretch Tent to Mobile Business Needs
At Stretch Structures, we believe in putting ourselves in our clients’ shoes to design tailor-made shelter solutions. Stuart Johnstone from Stretch Structures explains: “You have to morph yourself into your client, get to the depth of their needs, and find out all the details. In that way, you are able to present them with the best, most user-friendly solution“
For mobile vendors like Flo the Coffee Van, an effective canopy needs to meet three strict requirements:
1. Rapid Setup & Takedown: Easy for a small crew to pitch and pack down daily.
2. All-Weather Durability: Built with waterproof, wind-rated BedouinFlex™ stretch fabric to withstand coastal gusts.
3. High Visual Impact: Eye-catching design that draws in foot traffic at events, festivals, and roadside spots.
After months of searching, they found us. “We had to look into what could withstand the winter months and high winds of the Isle of Man.“
Why Custom Stretch Tents Work for Mobile Caterers & Food Trucks
Unlike rigid pop-up gazebos that buckle in high winds, stretch tents offer flexible anchoring options—attaching easily to vehicles, ground stakes, or ballast weights on hard surfaces.
Flo’s signature style is tasteful, down-to-earth and inviting, hence it was important to them to find the perfect addition to their van. Something to extend their service zone, opening up many more options for weddings, fairs and charity events. They managed to find that in a 4.5m x 6m Stretchflex Lite marquee in Sand, which added that ‘wow’ factor to their business.
“When we received our tent it was better than we could imagine. It fits perfectly with our vision for our business and compliments our Citroen HY Coffee Van.” They were also impressed with how easily it goes up, and packs down even quicker into a compact storage bag.
Ready to Upgrade Your Mobile Catering Setup?
Looking to design a custom canopy or stretch tent for your business? Contact our technical team today for a quote.
All images courtesy of Flo the Coffee Van.