Representatives of Burbank-based startup Coffee Cube are asking the community to keep an eye out for their trailer, which houses their mobile coffee bar and was stolen last weekend.
Burbank-based Coffee Cube had one of its signature red trailers stolen from the startup’s property last weekend, representatives say.
The trailer, which Coffee Cube uses as a mobile coffee and pastry bar, was stolen from the business’ headquarters at 2121 Kenmere Ave. sometime between 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, and 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 6, according to Sgt. Derek Green, public information officer for the Burbank Police Department.
The trailer was not attached to a vehicle at the time, though the hitch had been locked, according to Jhairo Echevarria, marketing director for Coffee Cube, which operates a store in Canoga Park and offers coffee services to offices.
“It’s a huge loss,” Echevarria said in a phone interview, estimating that it would cost about $25,000 to replace the trailer, which includes coffee grinders and a refrigerator.
Echevarria described his company as heavily involved in local communities; it donates 5% of its profits to its cities’ youth groups, including some identified by the Burbank Unified School District. Coffee Cube also holds charity drives and — only days before its trailer was stolen — gave out free coffee at an event.
And the company’s connection to the Burbank community may prove worthwhile. After Coffee Cube reached out to its followers on social media, Echevarria said the staff received an “outpouring” of support, with residents promising to keep an eye out for the trailer.
Neighboring businesses have also offered aid, the marketing director added. Many have shown him security camera footage of a vehicle hauling the trailer away from the Coffee Cube location, though Echevarria said a license plate wasn’t visible.
One of those helpful businesses is Golden State Gymnastics, which holds children’s programs just down the road from Coffee Cube. Camille Goldberg, who serves on the nonprofit’s board, said security footage shows a vehicle, with trailer in tow, heading down Keystone Avenue early Sunday, Sept. 6.
It’s the same vehicle, she suspects, whose passengers stole equipment from Golden State Gymnastics about 10 minutes earlier. The nonprofit is still trying to determine what was taken, Goldberg explained, but said its E-Z UP shelters, used to give shade to kids at the now-outdoor gym, were taken.
“They stole from children,” she said in a phone interview. “[They’re] just heartless people.”
The vehicle hauling the trailer is believed to be a late-model Cadillac Escalade.
Green said the BPD is “trying to connect the two” incidents, but isn’t yet sure whether the theft at Coffee Cube is related to the one at Golden State Gymnastics.
People who see the stolen Coffee Cube trailer should report it to the BPD, according to Echevarria.
The trailer is a newer piece of equipment the company purchased earlier this year, he explained. Its original trailer is undergoing a renovation intended to make it self-sustaining, equipping it with solar panels and a water recycling system. But while it’s in development, and with the other trailer gone, the business doesn’t have its signature box-shaped coffee bar on the road.
Echevarria said the company is looking at the possibility of purchasing another trailer, even considering setting up a GoFundMe appeal to offset costs. He added that Coffee Cube will continue to donate 5% of its profits to youth organizations.
And as for the thieves, Echevarria wants them to know the damage they did to the business.
“They really hit us in the gut,” he said. “For a company that’s really about [being] community-based, they really hurt us.”
