Trade glossary for the Irish coffee & food trailer industry.

43 defined terms

Concession trailer

Catch-all term for any commercial trailer trading food, drink, or services from a defined pitch (festival, market, sporting venue, casual-trading zone). Distinct from a "food truck" (self-propelled) — concession trailers are towed by a separate vehicle.

Bain-marie

Hot water bath used to keep prepared food at safe holding temperature (>63°C). Standard piece of catering trailer equipment for any operator serving stews, curries, sauces or pre-cooked sides.

Casual trading licence

Permission from a Local Authority to trade on public land at a designated location. Required for street pitches in most Irish cities/towns. Cost typically €100-€500 per year per location.

Charcoal grill

Direct-flame grill using charcoal/lumpwood as fuel. Distinct from gas grill. Festival-popular but most Irish councils restrict charcoal use on public pitches due to fire risk.

CRO

Companies Registration Office (cro.ie). The Irish state body that registers limited companies + business names. Required for any limited-company food trailer business.

CVRT

Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness Test. Required annually for trailers over 3,500 kg gross + commercial tow vehicles.

Diesel generator (silent)

Diesel-fuelled generator with sound-attenuating enclosure (typically <70 dB at 7m). Festival-standard power source for food + coffee trailers running off-grid. 3-8 kVA range covers most setups.

EHO

Environmental Health Officer. Local Authority inspector responsible for food safety + premises registration in their area. Your principal regulator after FSAI.

FSAI

Food Safety Authority of Ireland (fsai.ie). National body that oversees food safety legislation. Registration required at least 28 days before opening any food business in Ireland.

Gas safe / RGI

See "RGI". "Gas safe" is the equivalent UK certification — does not apply in Ireland; Irish trailers need RGI cert.

GVW (gross vehicle weight)

Maximum permitted total weight of a vehicle including load. Trailers over 3,500 kg GVW require CVRT + a B+E or higher driving licence.

HACCP

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. International food-safety methodology. Mandatory in Ireland — every food handler needs at least HACCP Level 2 (food handler certificate, ~€80, available online).

Horsebox conversion

Food or coffee trailer built from a converted horse trailer. The Irish workhorse — cheap (€1,500-€4,000 base + €8,000-€20,000 fit-out), robust, easy to tow.

Kingpin / kingpin lock

The bolt at the front of an articulated trailer that connects to the tow vehicle's fifth-wheel coupling. Kingpin locks prevent theft when the trailer is parked unattached.

LPG

Liquefied Petroleum Gas. The standard fuel for Irish food trailer cooking equipment — typically 19 kg propane bottles. Any LPG installation needs RGI cert.

NCT

National Car Test. Roadworthiness test for private cars + smaller trailers. Distinct from CVRT (commercial).

NGW

Notification of Gas Works. Document issued by an RGI installer after gas work, including the cert. Required to keep on the trailer + show at festival gate-in or insurance audit.

Pitch (festival/casual trading)

A specific location where you trade. Festival pitches are typically 4-8m × 4-8m. Pitches at major Irish festivals (Electric Picnic, Body & Soul) are competitive — application windows open in autumn for the following summer.

Plancha

Flat-top griddle (originally Spanish/Basque). Common in Irish food trailers serving cooked breakfasts, burgers, paninis. Gas or electric.

POA (Price On Application)

Listing has no advertised price — operator contacts the seller for a quote. Common on bespoke trailer builds + high-end espresso machines.

Public liability insurance

Insurance covering claims from third parties (customers, public, festival organisers) for injury or property damage. Irish festivals typically require minimum €6.5 million PL cover for vendor approval.

RECI / Safe Electric

Register of Electrical Contractors of Ireland. Any electrical work on a trailer needs a RECI/Safe Electric certified electrician.

RGI

Register of Gas Installers of Ireland (rgii.ie). Statutory register of qualified gas installers. Any LPG work on an Irish trailer must be done by a RGI installer + certified annually.

Single-origin

Coffee beans sourced from one farm, region or country (not blended). Common selling point for specialty coffee operators on Irish trailers.

Tare weight

Empty weight of a trailer (no load). Plus payload = GVW. Important when towing — your tow vehicle must be rated for GVW, not just tare.

Tow ball / hitch

Coupling between tow vehicle + trailer. Type 50 mm ball is standard for most Irish food trailers; commercial trailers use eye couplings.

Verified badge

On Food Trailers Marketplace, a paid optional tier (€10/month or €100/year) where suppliers upload CRO/VAT documentation and our admin team reviews. Verified suppliers display ✓ on every listing.

Ansul system / wet chemical

Automatic fire-suppression system designed for cooking equipment — releases a foam-like wet chemical (potassium acetate or similar) on detection of flame above griddles or fryers. Required by some Irish festival organisers + insurance underwriters for trailers running deep-fat fryers; cost €1,200-€3,000 fitted.

B+E driving licence

Irish driving licence category required to tow a trailer above 750 kg behind a category-B vehicle (most common food-trailer combination). Tested by the RSA — separate test from your standard car licence. Some operators get pre-1997 grandfathered B licence rights covering equivalent weights; check your licence carefully.

CE marking

European Conformity declaration on commercial catering equipment indicating compliance with EU safety, health + environmental directives. Required on all electrical + gas appliances sold in Ireland; absence is a red flag for second-hand kit + invalidates most insurance.

Cold brew / nitro coffee

Cold brew is coffee steeped in cold water for 12-24 hours; nitro coffee is cold brew dispensed under nitrogen pressure for a stout-like cascade + creamy mouth-feel. Growing segment in Dublin + Cork specialty cafés; trailer setup requires a kegerator + nitrogen tank.

EU SUP Directive

European Union Single-Use Plastics Directive (2019/904), in force in Ireland since 2021. Bans single-use plastic cutlery, plates, straws, stirrers + cotton bud sticks for food-service use. Replacement standard is wooden / bamboo / PLA cutlery; EHO inspections check compliance.

EU FIC / allergen disclosure

EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation (No. 1169/2011). Requires every Irish food business to disclose 14 declared allergens (gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soya, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphites, lupin, molluscs) at point of sale. Verbal + written allergen procedures + staff training are mandatory.

Fire suppression

Generic term for fixed automatic fire-detection + extinguishing system over cooking equipment. See "Ansul system / wet chemical" — most Irish food trailers running fryers carry either a wet chemical canister or a fixed K-class extinguisher.

Group head

The portafilter receptacle on a commercial espresso machine where the puck of ground coffee meets pressurised water at ~9 bar. Multi-group machines (1-group, 2-group, 3-group) reflect simultaneous capacity. E61 group is the classic thermosiphon design used in Rocket / Lelit prosumer + commercial machines.

ISO 22000

International standard for food safety management systems — broader than HACCP, integrates supply-chain + auditable processes. Required by some larger event operators + major retailers for vendor accreditation; not a legal requirement for most Irish food trailers.

Knock box

Container for disposing of used espresso pucks (the wet, packed coffee grounds knocked out of the portafilter after each shot). Standard barista kit in any Irish coffee trailer + café fitout — trade-grade rubber-padded knock boxes cost €25-€90.

PAT testing

Portable Appliance Testing — annual electrical safety check on every plug-in appliance over 240V. Required on Irish catering trailers for insurance + festival vendor accreditation. Cost: €5-€15 per appliance done by a Safe Electric / RECI-registered electrician; full annual sweep typically €100-€250 for a fitted-out trailer.

Portafilter

The handled metal basket-holder on an espresso machine that the barista locks into the group head. Holds the puck of ground + tamped coffee for the 25-30 second extraction. Spouted (single + double) for service; bottomless (naked) for shot-quality diagnosis.

Public liability minimum (€6.5m)

The standard minimum public liability insurance cover required by major Irish festival operators (Aiken Promotions, MCD, Festival Republic) for vendor accreditation. Below this level you cannot trade at the bigger weekends. Typical Irish food trailer policy carries €6.5m as the default.

Q-grader

Coffee Quality Institute-certified specialty coffee professional able to grade green beans on a 100-point SCA cupping scale. Q-grader certification is the global standard for specialty coffee buying + roasting; several Irish roasters (3FE, Calendar Coffee, Cloud Picker, Cork Coffee Roasters) employ Q-graders.

Steam wand

The metal pipe protruding from the side of an espresso machine that emits steam for milk frothing. Modern commercial machines feature 4-hole steam tips for faster texturing; older machines carry 1-2 hole tips. Hand-feel of the wand is a barista-level skill that takes 1-2 weeks of dedicated practice to learn properly.

VAT 23% / 13.5%

Irish VAT rates relevant to the food trailer trade. 23% applies to most equipment + fittings + non-food sales. 13.5% applies to certain hot food sales + catering services. The €42,500 services threshold (€85,000 goods) determines when VAT registration is mandatory; many small operators voluntarily register earlier to reclaim input VAT on capital equipment.