From Cockpit to Coffee: Meet Nathan Raab and His Mobile Jet Café

Recently, I met Nathan Raab, a British Airline Captain with a major flagship carrier, at Blackbushe Airport. He has transformed a damaged Cessna Citation Mustang into something completely unexpected: a mobile café inside a private jet fuselage.
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Nathan’s journey is a story of resilience, creativity, and the power of seeing opportunity where others see scrap. From being made redundant during COVID to creating the UK’s first jet café, his story is an inspiring example of entrepreneurship in action.

Nathan: “We wanted to transform coffee on aeroplanes, but this wasn’t an easy thing to achieve. Long-term contracts with big airlines are difficult to access, and changing the system is even harder. It made sense that the path of least resistance was to get our own plane and serve incredible coffee from it — to lead by example and prove it was possible. It just seemed logical.

It took a team to make it happen, and some of it came completely unexpectedly. I put out a post on Instagram saying, “I’m going to buy a plane and turn it into a coffee shop — can anyone help?” Of course, I didn’t have any money or know-how, but in life, you’ve got to take the punt, right?

I actually got a reply from someone called Chris, who became an investor and co-owner of the business. Chris then posted on a Facebook aviation group, and a guy called Pat got in touch. Pat and his business partner, Rich, own a company called RPM Aviation — they sell private jet parts. RPM had a spare jet that they wanted to turn into a bar but didn’t have the time to run it or manage event bookings.

So Chris and I explained our coffee vision, and eight weeks later, we had the world’s first private jet coffee shop.”

According to Euronews, Nathan’s vision reflects a broader trend: pilots and aviation professionals using creativity and sustainability to innovate beyond traditional aviation roles.

Nathan: “They can both help and hinder, but it’s all about self-awareness and reflection to ensure these skills are used to the business’s advantage.

Much of flying these days revolves around CRM (Crew Resource Management). Human error contributes significantly to most aviation accidents, so self-awareness is crucial. As pilots, we maintain a growth mindset and continually seek to improve. We are assessed on our non-technical competencies — such as workload management, decision-making, leadership, and professional standards — during simulator sessions and assessment flights.

In aviation, we also follow a ‘JUST’ safety culture, which means that if you make a mistake, you report it and learn from it. All reports feed into an industry-wide process, and the results are incorporated into training programs to improve overall safety. It’s a system built on accountability, self-responsibility, and a mindset of non-jeopardy and continuous improvement.
A few tools I use in business are the same as those I use in flying. One of them is our decision-making model, called TDODAR:

• T – Time to make a decision
• D – Diagnose
• O – Options
• D – Decision
• A – Action
• R – Review

This framework is invaluable for making quick, informed decisions — whether in an emergency during flight or for routine business decisions.

Another key skill is risk management. How can we de-risk something in business? Does it mean bringing in an investor, avoiding ownership of an asset or liability, or having a solid backup plan? These considerations are critical for sustainable growth and avoiding unnecessary pitfalls.”

His approach shows how structured aviation practices can directly translate to entrepreneurial ventures, creating a balance between creativity and operational discipline.

Nathan: “What is balance? Maybe balance is sometimes 90/10 and other times 50/50. I don’t know — I’m still trying to work this one out.

But I’m very conscious of spending quality time with my one-year-old. My dad worked a lot when we were young, and I want to be able to spend more time with my family. That’s my priority above everything else. You can’t buy that! If you achieve everything but lose everyone close to you in the process, isn’t that the ultimate failure?

I’m trying to show my son that we create our reality, dreams do come true, and above everything else, be kind — no one is above you, and you’re not above anyone else.

Having commitments has also really helped me. In a previous business, I got stuck in the day-to-day operations, and the business stopped growing. I simply do not have the time now, so I am forced to delegate and leverage my time by getting other people involved. It’s very easy to use your own sweat equity, but that will eventually lead to burnout and no growth. You really need to create a team.”

​Family, legacy, and personal growth are central to his approach. Nathan exemplifies how entrepreneurs can integrate personal values into business leadership.

Nathan: “It’s a private jet, come on! I still look at it in complete awe and disbelief. It has a real wow factor and draws people in. I can say that without sounding arrogant, because I didn’t build it alone — without the incredible people around me, it would never have happened.
The wow factor comes with some benefits… people take pictures of it, and it’s a fantastic marketing tool. On social media, across both my personal and business accounts, it receives about 2 million views a month. Any brand looking to sponsor the jet will gain exposure, though it’s hard to predict ROI at this stage since it’s so new and we don’t yet have case study evidence.

Finally, the most important part is the product we deliver: the coffee. We serve the best coffee, and this isn’t an accident. We use an incredible single-origin Brazilian coffee called ‘Jumbo Jet,’ which emulates the flavors we imagine a 747 would taste like — rich, dark chocolatey, nutty, a real crowd-pleaser.

We use the best equipment: a La Marzocco espresso machine that serves 1,000 coffees to 0.1-degree precision, and a Makohlig E65 GBW grinder. The water is filtered and heated precisely to 94°C. The milk is local to my home — full-fat Goodwood milk, pasteurized but non-homogenised, giving each cup a naturally sweet and full texture.

Finally, we have a highly experienced, sometimes competition-level barista making the coffee. Of course, this isn’t the cheapest way to serve coffee, but we’re on a journey to perfection — to honour and respect both the coffee beans and the history of the jet we serve from.”

Jet Bean Coffee combines aviation heritage with high-quality coffee craftsmanship, creating a unique mobile café experience that cannot be replicated by conventional cafés.

Nathan: “There isn’t permanence in life; life is about impermanence. But maybe, fundamentally, permanence beyond the human experience underpins everything. Perhaps the only permanence is the existence of creation, the soul, or consciousness. I don’t know — maybe that in itself is an illusion. How would we ever know what’s an illusion and what isn’t? Perhaps we will only know when we know.

In the meantime, we want to fill others with love and joy through serving coffee from a converted private jet and improving the coffee scene in aviation. That’s the experience we have currently chosen to have.”

Lessons from Nathan Raab
Nathan’s story demonstrates that innovation is not just about tech—it’s about vision, courage, and blending human connection with creativity. His mobile café:

• Reinvents coffee culture at UK airports
• Bridges digital/physical engagement for customers
• Demonstrates how entrepreneurship can thrive alongside a demanding career
• Proves that passion projects can become unique, marketable experiences