Meet Laila Zohav | Owner and Operator of The Perk Up Truck

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laila Zohav and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laila, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’ve always been a hard worker and like to commit fully to whatever I’m working on. I realized I’d like to try to use that energy to create something that benefits both me and my community instead of just whichever company I happened to be working for at the time. I started working young, around 14 years old, and felt it was time to see what I could create with the skills I had built. I was inspired by seeing people’s stories of building businesses that fit what they wanted to see in the world. A majority of the jobs I had held were in some version of customer service or hospitality and I really wanted to chose a business that would use the skills I had gained in those areas. I also wanted to create a business that was a happy place, something that would bring joy wherever it was. That’s how I came up with The Perk Up Truck.
I first had the idea to open a mobile coffee business sitting on a patio in Dallas, TX sometime around 2012. I didn’t start seriously planning until I left a corporate job in the end of 2014, and it still took until 2019 to make the jump. I had been casually looking for a coffee trailer or truck for a while and I saw the perfect starter trailer on a site called Roaming Hunger. The site is nationwide, but the trailer was in Aurora, which is also where I am based. This seemed to good to pass up and once I saw the trailer in person, I was sold.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We are a mobile espresso and smoothie trailer, based out of Aurora, CO. I set out to create a menu that was simple to manage, but also met everyone’s flavor profiles. I based each drink off of a coffee preference, such as sweet and milky, sweet but black, black and not sweet etc. However you take your coffee, there is a drink for you. This way there is a drink for everyone but I am able to maximize the limited space I have available. We also have smoothies, and I used the same process to make 3 smoothie flavors that meet different preferences, so there should be one that appeals to almost anyone. If you happen to be a non coffee drinker, we also have chai, matcha, hot chocolate and seasonal offerings ( lemonades in summer, hot cider in the winter) to hopefully accommodate as many people as possible.

The truck itself came together fairly easily. I’d worked in food service and coffee businesses previously. The biggest hurdle starting out was figuring out the licensing and permits as the food truck world was new to me. Then, since we opened in April, 2019, less than a year before the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic, that was the largest hurdle we have faced to date. I had to figure out how to make it in a very different world and business environment, but felt very lucky that I picked a mobile business. and one that is outdoors, and was therefore able to get back up and running sooner than might have been possible otherwise.

My favorite of our drinks is the Havana Latte, this uses Cafe Bustelo espresso and sweetened condensed milk to make a strong coffee flavor and rich, meduim sweet latte. The drink itself not something I see many other places and it hits me in the sweet spot of being able to taste the coffee, but still have some sweetness and milk. All of our other espresso drinks use the Guatemala roast from Elevation Coffee Roasters, out of Englewood. On the days that I am not in the mood for the Havana Latte, I will use the Guatemala to make a dark chocolate mocha or sometimes just a plain latte when I am not in the mood for sweet coffee. Being mobile is a big part of our business model. We will travel anywhere within about 45 minutes of NW Aurora, this has taken us as far as Castle Rock, Evergreen, Louisville and even up to Erie a few times.
I love bringing joy and warmth to everywhere we show up and I love being mobile! The fact that I can go to where the people are instead of making them come to me just makes sense to me.

Also, we have an exciting new chapter coming soon! I have purchased a new trailer that we plan to move into in January 2025. The new trailer is larger and runs on solar power. I am so excited to see what being in a larger space can offer (breakfast burritos, more flavor options?) and running on solar is much more consistant with my values than the gas powered generator we currently use.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love taking people to Stanley Marketplace as it’s one of the places that drew me to the area we ended up living in. I also like Zoe Ma Ma at Union Station and Nolia in Centennial. If it’s a nice day, Washington Park is great for a walk. And if is the correct time of year and we had time, I’d take people to the absolutley stunning Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. I have yet to visit most of the local hot springs, but if I had visitors, I would probably use that as an excuse to check them out!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The coffee community, a bunch of passionate and enthusiastic people deserve so much recognition for constantly creating and promoting and improving coffee culture. I am so impressed over the constant improvement we see, from better and more envirnonmentally sound products to new creations that enhance experience.
I have also been very lucky to have the support of my partner of 13 years, Jeremy, and so many of my friends have pitched in over the year. From the friend who taste tested all the menu items with me and helped created the descriptions, to the ones who will come out on the truck with me, often at extremely early hours, to work a busy event, having a supportive community has been imperative and I could not have done it without them.
I’d also be remiss not to mention that we have intentionally created a supportive community amongst the mobile coffee vendors in the Denver area. We have had a few meet ups and have a group chat on instagram where we can share advice, sell equipment, and pass on refferals for events that we can’t do for whatever reason.

Website: https://www.perkuptruck.com

Instagram: @PerkUpTruck

Facebook: @PerkUpTruckColorado

Image Credits
N/a