Many dream of a life filled with freedom and travel, but are stopped when the reality of bills sink in. That was the case for Amanda Di Marchi and Stefan Cosma until they saw an opportunity to turn their love for RV travel into a successful business venture now known as The Mobile Mixer, which serves locally inspired drinks out of a custom Airstream and TapVan travelling to different events across Southern Ontario adding a unique flare to weddings, corporate events or even intimate gatherings. We chatted with the couple to learn more. —Vita Daily
Please tell us a bit about yourselves to start.
We are Amanda and Stefan, a husband and wife team who run The Mobile Mixer. We met while traveling in Japan eight years ago and haven’t stopped since. Amanda is the creative force behind The Mobile Mixer. There’s nothing she enjoys more than mixing drinks using flavors and ingredients from her garden that look and taste great! Stefan takes care of the logistics and operations. You can be sure your event bar is always on time and fully stocked with him behind the wheel.
When and why did you launch the Mobile Mixer? What niche were/are you aiming to fill?
When we arrived back to Canada six years ago, we brought many ideas with us that we picked up on the road. When we got back to Niagara, the first thing we noticed was how difficult it was to find a great latte, and thus Mischievous Streamers Coffee was born in 2018. We wanted something that could operate seasonally, allowing us time off during the cold months, so this combined with our love for the open road led to the idea of a mobile coffee trailer. Once we started to research our chosen area, we discovered it was a hot wedding and events destination for a large catchment area around Toronto and Southern Ontario, so the idea quickly evolved into mobile bartending. Choosing an RV to house the business offers the unique opportunity for us to go to our customers which they love, and ultimately, lets us reach a much wider audience.
What products/services do you currently offer, and what makes them unique?
The Mobile Mixer is Southern Ontario’s premier event mobile bartending experience hosted out of Airstreams and other vintage bars. Our menus feature a wide range of different offerings, including signature cocktails, classic cocktails, mocktails, draft beer, local wine, and espresso coffee. Our signature cocktail menu has been carefully curated over 100s of events to deliver the freshest drinks of the summer, and includes a range of homemade products sourced from our own garden. You’re sure to find your perfect drink. Our bars include two eye-catching 60s Airstream trailers, shined to sparkle. We also offer a vintage camper van, fitted out with six taps in the side to pour beer and draft cocktails.
What are some of the most unique events you’ve been hired to attend thus far?
We’ve been hired for a whole range of public & private events, including underwater themed weddings, secret TIFF afterparties, daddy baby showers, town appreciation events, fundraisers and the odd wedding here and there. Using an RV lets us operate for and from anywhere!
What have some of the challenges been in running your business? The benefits? The rewards?
We love the freedom of working for ourselves and being able to see Canada while we work because of the business being mobile out of an Airstream. It’s so satisfying to work hard at something we both enjoy, and have clients who are really appreciative of that work and the experience they receive when they host a Mobile Mixer event. On the flip side, like all small businesses, there have been challenging times, like with all small businesses. Running a business with your life partner can be a real challenge, especially when you possess different skill sets and see things differently. The two seasons we spent with COVID created daily headaches, with abrupt changes to what was allowed to happen constantly. Being a predominantly outdoors business, weather can play a part in what is possible from a service point of view. A back-up plan is always required.
What tips/advice do you have for people who are thinking of starting a business on the road?
As one of the first five mobile businesses in Canada, we endured a lot of trial and error, but eventually found our groove. For anyone thinking of starting their own business on the road, we have a list of tips on GoRVing.ca. While flexibility is key, (you never know what speed humps, curves or mountains you will find), one of the most crucial steps is choosing the right RV for your business, especially with so many different models on the market. It can be really overwhelming figuring out which is best suited for you, but GoRVing.ca is a great resource to learn about each model and compare them, making it easy for you to decide!
What’s next for you?
This year we launched our third mobile bar, so the next 12 months for the business will be consolidating what we have on offer and refining those operations. We are planning a road trip with our van in October to travel down into the States through Kentucky and Tennessee. We both enjoy bourbon and will be hitting up distilleries along the way, and may even reach the Gulf of Mexico. It’s the joy of having nothing but the open road and the flexibility to stop whenever, wherever. Our love for travel has led us to places all over the world and while we love to be spontaneous in our travels, we always have a bit of a plan before we set off. For those looking for road trip destinations here in Canada, check out GoRVing.ca’s trip guides. They have a ton of routes spanning coast to coast to get you thinking on where to head next!
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