The Rotary Club of Bundaberg’s new coffee van is sparkling blue and ready for action after years of planning and renovation to make the organisation’s vision a reality.
In 2020, Rotary Bundaberg's past-President and now Public Image and Membership Director Matt Griffiths saw potential in converting the club’s second food van into a coffee van that could be made available as a community resource.
After refurbishing, rewiring, replumbing and repainting – on one of the hottest days in the year according to Matt – the van had its first commercial outing last Saturday at the Mystery Box rally where it was operated by Partners in Care Together.
Matt said offering the van for community groups like Partners in Care Together to use and retain the profit was the main aim of the initiative.
“That's basically what I wanted to do, make something that the community can engage with,” he said.
“We're not looking to make a cent on this, we want to run it as a service project, and we want the community to get involved.
“We're looking at returning about 90% of the profit back to the user if they are a not-for-profit community group, and we will just take a 10% small service fee which will help over the year to cover the registration and the insurance.”
Matt said the club also planned to engage schools, training institutions and local baristas to use the van as a real world training environment for students, and as an opportunity for work experience.
“We're looking at helping other people make money and develop skills,” Matt said.
“I want to see it used at schools for their sports day or cultural events where they can put their hospitality students in there and run it as a business, teaching the kids that they have to hand it back in business-like fashion.
“Then the school can reinvest those profits back into maybe a cause that the students have chosen, like a microfinance situation.”
Community groups and organisations that are interested in using the Rotary coffee van can contact the club at info@rotarybundaberg.org.au, or through the club’s website.
Congratulations to Matt and Rotary for recycling an existing asset.
The money raised will be in direct proportion to the effort and skills applied by the participants and then returned to that area of the community where it is most needed.