The Hopkins couple, Elaine and Derick, started Car Canteen seven or so years ago in Cape Town, but when they relocated to Gonubie, East London, they brought the concept with them.
Elaine was born and schooled in Vryheid, Northern KwaZulu-Natal, and Derek on a farm at the foot of the Drakensberg, and after that lived in Escort, Newcastle and Vryheid, where he met and married Elaine.
She worked in the banking sector and he worked for Eskom and then started his own business as a bookkeeper, monitoring “regional service council levies”, which had to be paid by businesses to the smaller municipalities.
Seven years ago they were living in Cape Town, and heading to retirement.
“As with many retiring couples, we reviewed our financial situation and realised that we would possibly need another income to maintain our standard of living, which was comfortable,” Derick said.
“Coupled with this was the fact that we were dreadfully bored.”
Derick was freelancing for a bookkeeping-linked company. It was Pretoria-based but had picked up a contract in Cape Town and Derick joined the company in the Cape.
Putting on their thinking caps, they analysed the skills they could bring to a new venture.
Derick could handle the accounting, an essential role for a fledgling company because most of the nine out of 10 new businesses that fail go under because of poor cash management.
Elaine was, according to Derick, an exceptional and imaginative chef, albeit an amateur one.
“So, with food and bookkeeping we had the foundation of a new business.
“The restriction was it had to be food. However, neither of us had any ambition, and no desire, to open an outlet, but delivering ready-to-eat meals was a good option.
“The boot of our car became the “Car Canteen” and the business took off.
“We relocated to Gonubie two years ago and “Car Canteen” came with us.
“Originally the work was taxing. The day started at 4am when we had to package all the food that Elaine had prepared the night before.
vThen she had to do the fresh stuff, which included various salads, sandwiches and rolls. Everything had to have a label, which was part of my job.”
In winter, the demand for salads dropped but they learnt that customers had an appetite for hot food; soups, curries, pasta, macaroni and other pastas.
The company buys large packs of sweets and biscuits and packs them into smaller bags.
“We also watch out for special offers from the big retail groups and buy in bulk.
“The confectionery doesn’t spoil. A surprise for us was the huge escalation in the price of chocolate, which I understand is due to the shortage of [cocoa] supply in West Africa.”
Car Canteen services 15 companies or centres every weekday, selling from their car boot.
The couple stop selling at about 11am in the morning and head home for a rest, then plough into the afternoon’s activities, getting ready for the next day.
“We haven’t complained of boredom since we started.”
In his high school days, Derick’s was soccer, and when he was 15 he was offered a contract with Liverpool Football Club, one of the UK Premier Leagues most consistent football sides.
“Unfortunately my father would not let me go. He insisted that I matriculate first.
“Perhaps a wise decision. I might have picked up a career-ending injury and I would have left soccer but with only a standard seven school pass.
“There are not many career opportunities open to a man with only a standard seven. But there is a lot for selling great food.”
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