Frankston City Council’s mobile food van program is helping small business owners transform local ideas into successful enterprises, with one Carrum Downs start-up now trading nationally.
In 2021, husband-and-wife team Kayne and Emily rolled their coffee van Messin’ with Jim into Sandfield Reserve, Carrum Downs, as part of the Council’s food van program. The experience gave them direct feedback from customers and helped refine their chai blends — a product that would soon grow into Caravan Chai, now producing hundreds of kilograms each month from a local manufacturing site.
“The van was the perfect delivery system for us to get feedback on our products,” Kayne said.
“Owning a tea company was a pipe dream that has become a reality.”
Caravan Chai now distributes its blends across Australia and is preparing to launch two new varieties. The company’s success has become a flagship example of how local entrepreneurs can use the program to test ideas and develop sustainable businesses.
Council opens applications for new vendors
Frankston City Council has now opened Expressions of Interest (EOI) for its next round of mobile food van licences, encouraging local traders and new start-ups to apply for designated trading sites across the municipality.
The initiative, which began in 2023, was designed to support small business development by making the licensing process more transparent and accessible. Following a review this year, Council has introduced several updates to further simplify participation and increase fairness.
Program updates
Key changes include:
- Streamlined application and assessment processes
- Transparent licence terms of 24 or 36 months
- Shared sites to allow more operators to trade
- Revised fees reflecting site amenities, visitation and utility costs
- A new trading location at Carrum Downs Recreation Reserve, added following community feedback
Fair and transparent process
Interim CEO Cam Arullanantham said the program’s growth reflects the city’s strong interest in mobile food businesses, but fairness remains a key priority.
“While we acknowledge that the community will have its favourite operators, community sentiment isn’t a criterion that we can apply,” he said.
“The overall assessment process needs to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants, and the EOI process must be objective, transparent and consistent with Council’s adopted procurement process to ensure fairness.”
Sites and key dates
Applications are open from 20 October to 17 November 2025, with eligibility checks to be completed by 21 November. Assessments will run until 19 December, and successful applicants will be notified in January 2026. New licences will begin on 1 June 2026.
Designated trading sites include:
- Oliver’s Hill Boat Ramp (two sites)
- Ballam Park (two sites)
- Overport Park
- Riviera Car Park, Seaford
- Carrum Downs Recreation Reserve
- Lloyd Park, Langwarrin
- Robinsons Park, Frankston South
- Seaford North Play Space
- Sandfield Reserve, Carrum Downs
More information
For full details and application forms, visit frankston.vic.gov.au/tempandmobiletrading.
