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Do You Need a Licence to Sell Coffee in the Street?

by andy Marshall
(glasgow scotland)

Coffee cart on a busy UK high street

Coffee cart on a busy UK high street

i work in construction so i have ignorance on my side :-

to sell coffee or tea from a back pack do i need any food or hygiene qualifications other than applying for a street traders license or hot drink/food will not having a food hygiene cert stop me.

i am looking at starting this up in Scotland if Scottish law is different in anyway.

i am aware i need to apply for a licence to trade with councils do i need training qualifications


regards




central scotland

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Apr 02, 2026
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by: MobCater

Hey Andy,

Love the honesty about the "ignorance on my side" bit — honestly, that attitude will serve you well because it means you're asking the right questions before jumping in, which is more than most people do.

Right, so selling coffee from a backpack on the street in Scotland — there are a few things you'll need to sort, but none of them should put you off.

First, you do need to register as a food business with your local council. In Scotland this is done through your local authority's environmental health department, and you need to do it at least 28 days before you start trading. It's free to register and it's a legal requirement for anyone handling food or drink commercially, even if it's just coffee and tea. The form is straightforward — you're basically telling them what you plan to sell, where you'll be operating, and how you'll keep things safe.

Second, the food hygiene certificate. Technically, the law doesn't say you must hold a Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate before you can trade. What the law does say is that you must be trained in food hygiene to a level appropriate to your work. For serving hot drinks, a Level 2 is the standard that every EHO expects to see, and I'd say just get it done — you can do it online in a few hours for about £15 to £25, and it covers everything you need to know. It absolutely should not stop you. Every EHO I've ever dealt with looks more favourably on someone who's taken the time to get qualified, and it makes the whole registration process smoother.

Now, the street trading licence — this is where Scotland does differ. Street trading in Scotland falls under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982. You'll need to apply for a street trader's licence from your local council, and the process, cost, and conditions vary between councils. In central Scotland, you'll want to contact the licensing department directly at your local authority — some councils charge a few hundred pounds a year, others have different rates depending on your pitch. It's worth ringing them up and asking exactly what's involved for your area, because each council runs it slightly differently.

One practical tip — since you're doing this from a backpack rather than a van or trailer, you might find some councils are more flexible about where you can operate, but you still need that licence in place before you start. Don't risk trading without it, because enforcement officers do check and you could get a fine or have your gear confiscated.

The fact that you're already thinking about all this puts you ahead of the game. Get the food hygiene cert knocked out this week, register with your council, and apply for the street trader's licence. You could realistically be up and running within a couple of months.

Keep going,

David

Disclaimer: This is general advice for UK mobile catering. Licensing rules vary between councils — always check with your local authority before you start trading.

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