About the business

Skylark Coffee, a Brighton based not-for-profit social enterprise, received funding from Brighton & Hove City Council’s Shared Prosperity Fund in April 2024.

Being patient and willing to travel a little, Skylark Coffee were able to purchase two, good condition, second hand Urban Arrow bikes and started using them from May 2024. Since then, they have covered more than 5000km from their base in Moulsecoomb to their customers all over the city.  

We picked up both bikes from London and rode them all the way back to Brighton, which was quite an adventure but enabled us to get the best possible prices!
- Skylark Coffee

Having two cargo bikes has been game changing for Skylark Coffee as they can send out two riders at the same time. They deliver as far away as the Marina in the east to Portslade train station in the west. The cargo bikes are as quick as vans, particularly when there are roadworks and traffic is bad. They are also agile and powerful enough to navigate Brighton & Hove’s hilly roads and narrow streets. 

They don’t just deliver coffee to customers, they even use them to transport espresso machines to events. They even plan to use the smaller Urban Arrow cargo bike for servicing customers' equipment outfitting it with tools and spare parts.

On a sunny day, an eCargo bike is parked outside Chasing Rabbits coffee house in Brighton
Outcome
Using the cargo bikes has been transformational for Skylark Coffee. They’ve replaced the diesel van they used to use for deliveries in town, and they no longer use traditional bicycles with racks and rucksacks.
They are now able to deliver much more quickly and decrease their emissions.
They have delivered over 8 tonnes of ethically sourced coffee since taking delivery of the cargo bikes.
We couldn't run Skylark without cargo bikes. They've helped us grow our b2b business within the city by over 100% in the last 6 months. If you do b2b business with lots of deliveries or service calls within the city, you can't have a more efficient way of doing it than a cargo bike.
- Skylark Coffee
a blue eCargo bike is parked on a street corner in Brighton

Using their ecargo bikes:

  • Saves time
  • Avoids traffic congestion
  • Improves business efficiency
  • Covered over 5000km saving approximately 1.9 MT equivalent of CO2. 

Switching to cargo bikes reduces the environmental and social impact of travel and transport in our cities. This contributes towards Brighton & Hove City Council’s Carbon Neutral 2030 goal.