Crazy floating coffee shop in the mountains for sale

Imagine a three-minute commute to work aboard a boat called “Fetch the Milk.”

Or diving into an alpine lake on a hot summer’s day from your office – a floating coffee shop.

One of the world’s most unusual (and coolest) coffee shops is up for sale. It’s called Coffee Afloat, and is found on the Lake Dunstan Cycle Trail. The 55-kilometre cycle and walkway opened in May 2021, and weaves along the cliffs of the Cromwell Gorge, with the lake on one side and soaring cliffs on the other.

Aside from the breathtaking scenery, one of the attractions is a floating coffee shop that was established half-way along the trail. The business is run by locals Richard and Jolanda Foale, who ran a popular helicopter company in Cromwell before Covid-19 hit.

The coffee shop proved so popular, they opened another floating restaurant next door called Burger Afloat – which has won multiple awards.

The pair has seen huge growth in their business, with the track ballooning in popularity. It was expected around 7000 to 7500 people would use the trail in the first 12 months. However, the actual figure eclipsed those estimates by a wide margin with more than 80,000 users.

They’ve also launched another floating coffee shop in Queenstown’s Frankton Marina.

But, after 20 years in tourism, the pair have decided they’d like a break to spend more time with their family and travel the country.

“We’ve just decided that we need to be a little bit selfish, I suppose, and take some ‘us time’ after quite stressful Covid years.

“So, it’s been a family decision, that we just need to concentrate on us for a bit,” explains co-owner Jolanda Foale.

Her husband Richard thinks the “critical thing” for the new owner will be to maintain the atmosphere out on the trail – up to 50 people can be stopped for coffee and food during busy periods. They’ve even set up an open-mic stage, with a guitar for entertainment.

The Queenstown floating coffee shop is also for sale, which is designed to complement the Lake Dunstan operation – which has its low season during winter. Queenstown, however, experiences a winter peak which should keep the operation busy year-round.

Bayleys, which is selling the property, will only share the company’s finances if prospective buyers sign a non-disclosure agreement, but the owners say it’s been profitable from year one.

Richard says the business is a great lifestyle choice because “you work in waves,” he explains. “You work really hard for an hour-and-a-half or so, then you’ve normally got time to dive in the lake and have a bit of a swim around or maybe pull the fishing rod out, before the next wave comes.”

The pair have two boats permanently based on the trail, and use a smaller boat called “Fetch the Milk” to commute across the lake from their car park.

The business has been listed as price by negotiation.