We are happy to introduce you a brand new way of delivery: Cargo Velo! Some of you might have seen this option when finishing your order on our webshop. As a fair fashion label we do not only find it very important to treat our lovely knitting ladies well and give them a fair wage, but we also like to take care of the environment. Our products are made with beautiful natural materials and in fair conditions. We work in an environmentally friendly way. We also try to limit the surplus of the yarn by reusing our basic colours (black, white and grey) in new designs and spinning yarn for the DIY collection. We find this very important at LNKnits, given the fact that global warming is a worldwide issue.
That’s why Cargo Velo and LN Knits are the perfect combo! We asked Sander (founder of Cargo Vélo) some questions so you can get to know them a little bit better:
What was the inspiration that started ‘Cargo Velo’?
Cargo Velo started out as a passion for cycling tours in combination with cargo bike inspiration from abroad. ‘Heavy Pedals’ from Vienna is one of our biggest examples! The initial concept grew into a professional all-round bike messenger service inspired by numerous other bike couriers in Europe and the experience of the first customers.
Tell us what the brand is all about?
The motto of Cargo Velo is #allesopdevelo (Everything by bike). We are the all-round experts for diverse transportation in an urban environment, where we offer a real alternative to traditional logistics. Customer is king and we are heavily focused on quality, service, reliability and customer satisfaction.
Everything is transported by bike and with full enthusiasm. Sustainability is also a very important pillar for us. This in all the senses of the word: ecological transport, sustainable employment with decent contracts and salary, healthy growth, thoughtful expansion of our fleet, etc.
What does a typical day for you look like?
As founder and director I am responsible for the daily management and the healthy growth of cargo Velo. Before, I was on the bike all day, but at the moment I’m mainly on the desk or in meetings. I do however try to get on the road once week to keep that feeling alive.
Some of the couriers also have a few desk-hours because I can’t keep up with all of the to do’s on my own: dispatchers, HR, scheduling shifts, sales, software development, operations, cycle maintenance, accounting, etc. In 2017 my co-partner Jochen came aboard as a software architect. He mainly focusses on strategy, business development, financial monitoring and financing, etc.
The bigger Cargo Velo gets, the greater the challenges will be. Of course there are things that are less fun to do. (Especially the growing administrative requirements.) But each day is a fun day at Cargo Velo!
Is the future looking bright?
Yes! We want to put Cargo Velo on the map as a reference for transport by bicycle in cities like Ghent, Antwerp but eventually beyond. We therefore continue to build a network of sustainable transport modes and smart partnerships to excel further in reliable and quality-oriented sustainable logistics.
With our Velo Pack formula we want to offer a worthy alternative to retailers and webshops for (local) home deliveries with targeted time slots that right now are happening often in inefficient ways and vans with many unnecessary kilometers.
Some fun stories?
People often think that we just carry packages, but we transport a lot of different things: ‘ballenbad’, medical samples (urine, faeces, skin pieces, gametes, etc.), freezer, pear tree, etc. We even have had some requests to transport drugs, which we obviously rejected haha!
We come across many different people on the floor. Our couriers (m/w) are sometimes even flirted with. The techniques vary, but are not subject to publication.
So do you live in Ghent or Antwerp and would you like to contribute to the environment? Choose Cargo Velo when ordering your favourite LN Knits!
