The Bearded Cactus coffee van at East Maitland has turned to its customers for help, as it nears its forced closure date.
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The mobile coffee shop, which mostly remains in the front garden of a New England Highway property, used a planning loophole to open in February.
But in August, Maitland City Council decided to take steps to close the operation after a rise in complaints from neighbours about noise, privacy and traffic.
The business was given 44 days to shut shop, leaving the owners Peter and Leah Hodges scrambling to keep the business alive.
Thanks to its iconic status among coffee lovers in the area, the two believe they can raise $30,000 through crowd-funding to pay for the establishment of a shop.
“As you know, our days appear to be numbered in our current mobile location,” a statement from the business said.
“We’re currently looking to move to a more permanent location but, given council’s short timeframe, we need your help.
“We’ve just started a cactus rewards incentive to raise money and reward you so we can fit out and purchase equipment to keep the cactus coffee flowing.”
The business has so far raised more than $3000.