The Tartan Pie

I was fortunate to have come across the perfect vehicle for deliveries. We don’t travel far, we don’t need to travel fast, so we’re going to travel in style in our new mini-truck! I often do random searches for random bakery things when I have a bit of time on the computer, and I happened upon a Diahatsu Hijet mini- truck one day on Kijiji. I was in Edmonton, which seemed an odd place for a mini-truck, as Alberta is the land of the super-sized truck. But as it happened, my brother was going to be in the area and could look at it for me. He was able to overlook the little size and said it was legit and in good shape.  A train ride and two ferries later, we are now we are the proud owners of a Diahtsu truck with a refer unit. 

Apparently it’s a bit easier to insure these vehicles in Alberta, it’s taken a few months to get the required parts for converting it to a street legal vehicle, but now it’s ready. I am hoping to get it insured this week. Graphics are next…I can’t wait, there are so many ideas. And now we can do deliveries, markets, wholesale…it’s all very exciting. It came with a pint-sized freezer unit already installed, so we’ll be able to keep our food cold and fresh.

A few people have asked why I chose an import.  Well, quite frankly, there are no vehicles in the North American marketplace that fit the bill!  Small and economical, the small refer until will allow me to attend markets and venues without hassel, and because it sips gas we can consider deliveries.  The top speed between Parksville and Gabriola Island is 90k, and our vehicle can do 85 so it’s fast enough.  The smallest vehicle that’s available on our side of the pond is about 20x bigger than I need, which would have been a waste, and far more costly.  Our little Hi-Jet fits the bill.