Cool Beans: The Buzz Truck Set to Percolate, Caffeinate + Feed the Masses

Update:  The Buzz Truck is running and fully caffeinated!  

Mornings, afternoons, or whenever you wake up from your late night out just got a helluva lot better.  That’s ‘cuz we’ve got a brand new food truck that’s ready to hit up the streets of Fairfield County called The Buzz Truck.  Run by husband and wife team Alex and Jess Grutkowski, The Buzz Truck is nearly ready to get us buzzing with caffeine and fill us up with some awesome local baked goods.  We think their new food truck will fill a major void in Fairfield County and will round out events perfectly.  So, let’s hear a little bit from Jess about how The Buzz Truck came to be, what drinks and food they’ll feature, where they plan to be stopping and setting up shop, and what their plans for the future are.

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Where did the idea for The Buzz Truck come from?

The idea came about organically, just from being a coffee lover and a mom short on time. My husband Alex and I both have a corporate background (online advertising and public relations, respectively). We always knew that someday we would start our own business, but it took some time to come up with the right idea. We thought about children’s parties, the Community Theater in Fairfield, mini golf, but nothing was “just right.”

I was always late to pick up my girls from nursery school at Earthplace…it was kind of embarrassing. But my friends and I would always cover for each other when we were late to pick up, especially since some of us drove from Fairfield and would get stuck on the highway or behind school buses.

I remember being in line one day watching the clock – slightly panicking – and the only guy in front of me pulls out a piece of paper and starts reading off orders…”One sugar, free, non-fat, vanilla latte, extra hot 190 degrees, not a ton of foam.” I was left to choose:  be late again or ditch the line and forego coffee all together.

Then the idea hit me. Why isn’t there an ice cream truck, but for grown-ups, with coffee? Even the name, The Buzz Truck, came to me at that moment. I could drive to the nursery school at pick-up time and the moms and staff could get coffee or tea, kids snacks and drinks.

Your first event was this Saturday in Westport, how does that make the both of you feel?

 

Jeff Borofsky from Skinny Pines with Alex

We were excited and nervous all at once. The truck, which is actually a renovated small school bus, is going to be ready this week (it is painted black and the graphics are being applied as we speak). However, we still really wanted to have a presence at the event, especially considering Earthplace was kind of where it all began. We definitely made some forever friends while my twins attended Earthplace and just can’t say enough about the staff and facility. When we came up with the idea, they were immediately interested in us putting Earthplace on our permanent route.

We borrowed a tent from our coffee partner, Shearwater Organic Coffee Roasters, and set up shop. We are so excited to report that we completely sold out of coffee, beverages and baked goods!

There are a ton of different cuisines that you could have picked from for a food truck, so why create The Buzz Truck?

When Alex and I first spoke about the idea of a food truck, I said immediately I didn’t want to be baking or making bacon, egg and cheeses on a truck. We didn’t want anything complicated. I consider myself to be a good cook but I am not a professional chef. (Funny story I actually put a deposit down for cooking school the day I found out I was pregnant with twins. Alex luckily convinced me I couldn’t do it all and work part-time in PR.) Coffee was something familiar and important to me and I figured I could dust off my coffee making skills from when I worked at Coffee Tree in Greenwich as a teenager.

I remember years ago thinking a lobster roll truck would be a great idea when we lived in DUMBO, Brooklyn pre-twins, and now there is Lobstercraft, which just announced a second truck (congrats!!!). This is our first time doing something like this so we figured keeping it simple and partnering with local businesses was a solid business model. Supporting small businesses in Fairfield County was super important to us.

What coffees, espresso, and teas will you feature?

We are thrilled to be partnering with Shearwater Organic Coffee Roasters. Some people haven’t heard of the company, but many are already drinking it at restaurants across Fairfield County.  Martel was the most recent, I believe. Down at STEAM in Westport at both train stations, they are also using Shearwater. I have gotten a lot of my friends hooked already.

Ed Freedman is the owner and roaster, and he has just been amazing to work with! He is so knowledgable and is really invested in his wholesale partners. Ed has taught us so much already about the importance of organic coffee and the roasting process, which is a bit above my head in terms of mathematics and physics! I will stick to marketing and customer service. Shearwater is the only USDA-certified organic roaster in Fairfield County. You can purchase beans at the roasting facility in Trumbull, or at The Pantry in Fairfield. I never realized what good coffee tasted like until I started drinking Ed’s coffee.

The Buzz Truck will also use Shearwater beans for our espresso drinks. As someone who rarely drinks dairy, we will have soy and nut milk options for drip and espresso coffee beverages, too. Also, my husband Alex recently became a tea drinker, so we will definitely feature a local brand such as Bigelow.

Just some of the goodies available at The Buzz Truck

We also see that you’ll have a nice spread of breakfast goodies. What kind of a selection will you have and which bakery are you working with?

We live down the street from Sweet & Simple Bakery and just fell in love with all their goodies. Michelle Jaffee, the owner, is amazing to work with and has mentored us so much. We will have a daily selection of muffins, cookies, breads, cupcakes and signature Buzz Truck scones. It will probably change up from time-to-time based on seasonal ingredients and availability.

Do you plan to hit up any spots on a regular basis? What towns/cities/places do you plan to visit?

To start out, we are going to focus on Fairfield, Southport and Westport until we figure out what locations work best. Our goal is not to compete with local favorites, but rather be where the coffee isn’t accessible. Think little league, soccer, corporate offices, near beaches and playgrounds, nursery schools (with permission) and events. We are so thrilled to have already received inquiries from quite a few people to come to events!

We hope to expand to other towns in the future, especially Norwalk, Darien and Trumbull.

Are you available for parties and other events?

Yes, we are definitely available for private parties and events — just give us a buzz! In April, we will be with our partner Shearwater Coffee Roasters at the Fairfield 375 Food Drive @ Fairfield Ludlowe High School on April 26th and are also thrilled to be at PopShop Market @ The Shops at Yale on April 27th.

Is there anything else that we missed that you’d like to share?

We will also be selling Planet Fuel organic fruit juices. They are designed for kids, but they are really good (I love the Cherry Lemonade) for adults too. There is no straw to wrestle with and my twins feel cool drinking from the can, which is a smaller size to minimize waste. The owners are also a husband and wife team with twins.

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The Buzz Truck

Phone:  (646) 256-2003

Email:  INFO@THEBUZZTRUCK.COM

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