OK, so pedal-powered coffee retailers aren't entirely new—we saw one back in 2008 in the UK, after all—but we can't resist sharing one more, spotted this time on the streets of New York City. Brooklyn-based Kickstand Coffee uses two bicycles, a fold-up stand and a hand-cranked grinder to serve up sustainable hot and cold coffee at events around the city.

The brainchild of three baristas, Kickstand Coffee relies on two 160-pound rolling carts that are each towed to location by a custom-built bicycle, according to a report on NYDailyNews.com. Once there, the carts unfold and attach to create a 9-foot-long bar that includes everything the trio need to make coffee. Beans are hand-ground on a cup-by-cup basis, and the iced coffee is cold-brewed; only Kickstand's hot coffee—brewed on location using specially adapted Chemex glass beakers—uses any propane or electricity. The company is working on a mini folding bicycle that customers will be able to use to grind their own beans. Pricing for Kickstand's coffee is USD 2.50 per cup, hot or cold.

With bicycle culture on the rise and coffee going strong, it seems perfectly natural to combine the two for a more sustainable cup of joe. The variations on this theme are virtually limitless—as are the opportunities. Time to get pedaling yourself...? (Related: Solar-roasted coffee.)

Website: www.kickstandbrooklyn.com
Contact: contact@kickstandbrooklyn.com

Spotted by: Verge Manuel / Images by: Big Waste of Time

The ability to pay for purchases by mobile phone may be common in some parts of the world, but it's by no means ubiquitous. Similar to the way RideCharge lets consumers book a taxi and pay their fare by phone, TabbedOut lets them open a tab at their favourite bar and then close it out by phone when they're ready to go.

The brainchild of Texas-based ATX Innovation, TabbedOut is available as a free app for both iPhone and Android; Blackberry support is coming soon, the company says. Currently, consumers in Austin and Dallas as well as Chico, Calif., can use the app to manage their bar tabs at participating venues. They begin by downloading and setting up the application, including entering account information for one or more credit or debit cards; once stored, those accounts are displayed only via the last four digits. Next, when they're ready to visit a bar, they can use the app to see which ones near them are linked with TabbedOut. The software is integrated directly with participating restaurants and bars so as to allow consumers to open and view a tab directly from the point-of-sale system. Opening a tab with TabbedOut essentially provides the bar with the consumer's stored payment information up front; in return, he or she is given a code that the bartender uses to keep track of each drink. When it's time to go, the consumer simply opens the app, enters a tip and selects “pay.” TabbedOut can send a copy of the receipt via email; it also archives the information for later use in expense reports, for example. ATX charges consumers 99 cents for each tab paid using TabbedOut.

Aiming for a nationwide expansion, ATX is currently seeking strategic partnerships with POS providers, resellers and hospitality vendors; one to get in on early...?

Website: www.tabbedout.com
Contact: info@tabbedout.com

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

While we usually feature companies when they launch, we love seeing their creativity develop and grow after that initial period. And we just spotted a fun example: the made-to-order muesli mixers of mymuesli recently created the first TV commercial filmed and edited entirely on the iPhone 4.

In the three years since we first featured mymuesli, they've expanded to the UK, Switzerland and the Netherlands, and have been joined by similar concepts in other countries, including [Me]&Goji in the US. They've also forged smart alliances with established health, fitness and beauty brands, and developed a convenience product: mymuesli2go.

Which brings us back to the iPhone. mymuesli's founders were so impressed by the phone's video quality, that they decided to use it to shoot and edit an ad for their new product. Highlighting the convenience aspect of mymuesli2go, the ad features a skydiver eating cereal before jumping out of a plane. (The video below shows both the ad and 'the making of'.) The commercial aired on German and Austrian television over the weekend.

Whether or not you're an Apple fanboy, there's no denying the buzz surrounding their product launches. And latching on to that early fervor can be an inexpensive way for young brands to draw some attention their way. Watch and learn ;-) (Related: Fashion shoot uses iPhone 3GS.)

Website: www.mymuesli.com
Contact: www.mymuesli.com/kontakt

Just as chefs are forever seeking out new ways to fill our bellies, the food industry shows a insatiable appetite for novel concepts, as can be seen in our food & beverage database. Here's a selection of new innovations designed to appeal to those hungry for a more unusual dining experience:

1. LE TROISIEME LIEU — Stealing a tradition from music and comedy clubs, Paris bar Le Troisième Lieu has declared Mondays as 'open kitchen nights': any aspiring chef can register to be the venue's cook for the evening. All meals cost EUR 12.

2. PUBLIC PIE — Dutch mobile kitchen Public Pie features ovens that are integrated into the outdoor benching that is provided for patrons, meaning customers get exactly what is promised by the company motto: 'Fresh apple pie with a hot butt'.

3. PATTY'S PIZZA — Santa Monica pizza maker Patty's has done away with its brick-and-mortar eatery altogether, and moved its retail operation entirely online. On top of that, customers can choose to have their gourmet pizzas delivered baked or par-baked, giving them the option of completing the process their own oven.

4. LOBSTER PUSHER — How to make a sandwich more exciting to consumers? The Lobster Pusher's answer is to make the act of buying one emulate a drug deal. Customers interested in The Merchandise—a lobster bun—must first become a member of a Facebook group. Orders for product are conducted by SMS, and handovers take place surreptitiously on street corners.

Spotters: Elisabeth Dien, Food Inspiration, Jim Stewart, Erin Lindholm

Much the way New York's Park Avenue seasonal restaurant is reborn every three months, so New Jersey-based Canal House's cookbook is published three times a year.

Canal House Cooking aims to present “home cooking by home cooks for home cooks,” as it says on its site. Recipes included use ingredients found seasonally in most markets, and all are easy to prepare. Canal House Cooking Volume No. 4, Farm Markets & Gardens, is the fourth book of Canal House's series of recipes and the latest one available. “Grilled leeks with romesco sauce,” “Grilled quail & fresh figs,” and “Patty Curtan’s famous apricot jam” are all among the seasonal offerings served up on this latest edition's pages; up next will be editions for fall & holiday, winter and spring. Individual cookbooks are USD 19.95, while a yearlong subscription—including all three cookbooks in a year—costs USD 49.95.

At a time when appreciation is increasing for all that is homegrown, seasonal and (still) made here, it makes good sense to adapt virtually all food-related offerings to nature's rhythms. Such notions should already be standard for individual menu items, but most restaurants, cookbooks and gourmet stores could all stand to reflect more closely what each new season brings. (Related: 52 recipe contests to spawn crowdsourced cookbook — Members club for artisanal ice cream in Manhattan.)

Website: www.thecanalhouse.com
Contact: mail@thecanalhouse.com

Spotted by: Bethany Bailly