As home delivery gained momentum during the pandemic, it became clear that Worksmith needed a more efficient, agile delivery system to transport more and more of their ventures’ wares around Melbourne.

That’s where the Vito came in. A partnership with Mercedes-Benz Vans has produced a van to help take the pressure off deliveries and logistics, and the team have made full use of it.

“We have a number of people operating eCommerce businesses out of our space, and we’ve been able to empower them with the use of the Vito van to complete their deliveries,” says Roscoe.

One such business is Holy Sugar, a weekly pastry box created by Audrey Allard. Her in-demand creations are sought-after, preparing decadent eclairs and fluffy sponges for her loyal customer base.

As her business has grown, so has her delivery radius.

“With the Vito, I can now do up to three times the amount of deliveries,” she says. “I can also up my range of deliveries, and drive a lot further."

The van space is a crucial benefit for Audrey, because it helps her save time on long delivery runs.

“It’s super easy to load my boxes, get my boxes out, and when I have to deliver them to people’s houses, it’s just a quick in-and-out.”

It was also important to Audrey that the van didn’t feel like a huge truck. She finds that the van drives like a car, which makes it easier for those who aren’t used to the size and space of a van.

“Even with my size - I’m quite short - getting in and out is easy.”

One positive aspect of lockdown was a new endeavour for the Worksmith directors: Home Grown Cocktails.

The pre-mixed cocktail blends come in both kegged and bottled form, and are designed to be distributed to bars and restaurants all over the city, to create more ease around cocktail creation.

“We created it to help bars and pubs and clubs serve great Australian cocktails, by making them in batch form, so they can easily pour over ice,” says Roscoe.

They can also be enjoyed by at home, and currently come in three flavour-led combinations - and all the ingredients come from Australian producers.

“We’re passionate about putting local spirit producers into our drinks, to enable food and beverage businesses to be able to pour Australian in their venues.”

Now, the Vito van is able to add to that passion, helping them reach the goals of their motto (“Grow. Hospitality. Together”) every day.