Sparkplug Coffee is serving up the “spark” you need to start your day and bringing the cups of Joe right to you with a new local coffee truck.
With beans sourced from Rise Up Coffee Roasters headquartered on the Eastern Shore, the mobile coffee shop officially opened for business in July, serving Baltimore City and Baltimore County.
“We believe that Baltimoreans are people who enjoy getting out and exploring our city with all of its eclectic neighborhoods and activities that it has to offer,” said co-owner Anthony Levero Jr. “We don’t want coffee that’s limited by four walls and an address. We want to be out and about where people are having fun and be a part of that experience.”
Owners Anthony Levero Sr. and his son Anthony Levero Jr. operate out of a 1995 Suzuki Carry truck that was imported from Japan, where it’s a very common work truck. The pair believed the truck would be the perfect conversation piece for customers.
Levero Sr. always wanted to open a food truck, but due to the spacing inside the Carry, “coffee made more sense,” he said.
The concept was first conceived years ago while Levero Jr. was living in Seoul, South Korea, where he said “these types of coffee trucks are common.” But the project became a reality last November when the father-son duo remotely put in a bid and won the truck at auction in Kobe, Japan.
According to Levero Jr., after the truck was purchased they were rushed to get permits approved, get it ready in time for summer, and finish the design work. Levero Jr.’s wife, Heeyeon Kim, created their logo.
“I’m still somewhat in disbelief that the project has come together,” Levero Jr. said. “Permitting and licensing a type of vehicle that most people have never laid eyes on before was a bit of a leap of faith. Now that we’re in business though, and we’ve accrued a positive response way faster than I’d even imagined in optimistic scenarios, I guess reality is setting in.”
Sparkplug Coffee provides updates about their truck’s location on their Instagram page. Customers can also book the truck for private events.
