It’s called The Happiest Coffee, a project that has been serving speciality coffee at Mercado da Vila in Cascais since August 28th. This isn’t your typical shop with a physical space; instead, it’s a bike equipped with a coffee machine.
For the first few months, it’s been stationed at the market only on Wednesdays and weekends, when foot traffic increases due to the fresh produce and flower market. However, its founder, Brazilian Aryelle Bastos, assures that from mid-November, the bike will become a permanent fixture at Mercado da Vila.
Aryelle Bastos shares that she moved to Portugal in 2022 with the idea of opening a café already in mind. "I really enjoy the atmosphere of a café: the exchange of experiences, the moments of calm", she explains. Although she had no previous experience in the field, she was a regular visitor to these kinds of places in her home country.
It was during her travels around Europe - particularly in countries like the UK, Belgium, and Spain - that she discovered the concept of bikes as mobile stalls. She found the idea amusing and ordered a model from Portuguese suppliers that could be adapted for serving coffee.
As she was living in Cascais, it felt natural to kick off the project in the village. "I thought it would fit really well with Mercado da Vila, as it's visited by many tourists who are already familiar with this concept in their own countries. Here, I can have a regular flow of customers while also introducing the project to new people who come by".
The coffee, freshly brewed, is ground and prepared on the spot. The beans, 100% Arabica, come from Brazil. The Happiest Coffee also handles the roasting, partnering with a roaster in Lisbon. They sell beans (13.90€ for 250 grams) and coffee capsules. For an on-the-spot brew, you can choose from an espresso (1.50€), an americano (2.50€), a cappuccino (3€), a macchiato (2.50€), a latte (3.50€), an iced coffee (3€), a chai latte (3.90€), or a hot chocolate (4€), among other options.
To complement the coffee, they offer a selection of vegan, sugar-free pastries, including almond and hazelnut muffins or lemon and blueberry muffins (4€); banana bread (3.90€); carrot cake (4.10€); and energy balls (2.20€), which come in flavours like carob and orange, or cocoa and coconut.
For now, Aryelle Bastos balances her job as a project manager with this side business. Soon, she plans to expand The Happiest Coffee bikes to other areas of the country, particularly to the North of Portugal. She’s also not ruling out the idea of opening a traditional café with a physical space – and when that happens, she’d love for it to be, once again, in Cascais.
Rua Padre Moisés da Silva, 1, Cascais. Wed and Sat 08.00-15.00; Sun 09.00-16.00