Oban’s ebike idea a ‘wheel’ help
A new business will trial an ebike to further help with its commitment to the environment, writes Ellis Butcher.
Go Naked Veg Ltd will use it for three months to fulfil local deliveries to addressess around the town rather use one of its vans.
Owner Graham West said it was a link-up with Oban Cycles on George Street which, under a new scheme, has provided ebikes to places such as Kerrera and Lochgilphead.
Mr West said Oban Cycles had suggested the idea of trialling an ebike and he was immediately in favour and set about applying.
He said: ‘It’s a three-month trial and if it goes exceptionally well we will obviously look into buying one.
‘We will be using it to do local deliveries and it will make it a little bit easier to cycle up Pulpit Hill! ‘We’ll be using it to take our fruit and veg boxes to customers who order online. ‘Obviously our whole concept is reducing plastic pollution and fighting for zero packaging, and we also want to reduce our carbon footprint.
‘We would love to be in the situation where our vans were electric but the cost of that at the moment is unsustainable as a new business, although I’d like to hope that within the next 18 months we would be in a position where we could replace one of our vans with an electric one.’
People order online at www. gonakedveg.co.uk, with deliveries going out to places such as Oban, Dunbeg, Fort William and Lochgilphead.
Graham said: ‘We now average about 60 to 70 deliveries a week, but all those further afield will be delivered by van.’
Go Naked Veg Ltd started life in the early part of 2020 providing home deliveries just before the pandemic struck.
It then opened in its own premises in November at the corner of Stevenson Street and Combie Street.
The shop’s unique selling point is that it is totally plastic free and sells predominantly organic fruit and veg from local producers – loose not pre-packaged.
The business has two members of staff – delivery driver and former paramedic Kevin Devine, and Liam Jackson, who was taken on full-time as an apprentice under the Scottish Government’s Kickstart scheme.