Pablo and Rusty's
Small fleet? No small feat.
Why Pablo and Rusty’s chose to outsource their fleet management to FleetPartners and how we stood out as the sustainable difference
Running a small business is not without its challenges. And for Pablo and Rusty’s, a small coffee-roasting business based in Sydney, Australia, keeping their business on the road is crucial to their success. So when the team at Pablo and Rusty’s decided to outsource their fleet management, they needed a partner who could understand small business challenges. Plus, as a Climate Active certified business, they wanted to work with a sustainably-minded organisation. We spoke with Pablo and Rusty’s CEO, Abdullah Ramay, on why they chose to partner with FleetPartners and how our operating leases have made things easier for their business.
The need for small business speed (and ease)
Pablo & Rusty’s rely on a small fleet of vans and cars to enable their consumers, cafes and partners to brew and serve delicious coffee. Abdullah tells us that originally, they financed their fleet themselves. But as their business matured, challenges arose.
“We found that as our business grew, the admin side of fleet management was quite difficult to manage. From regos, to insurance to servicing. Then after five years or so, the cars need to be sold. We realised we’re not the best people to deal with our fleet. So we looked for a partner who is,” Abdullah explains.
In 2015, Pablo & Rusty’s realised an operating lease would better support their growing business. After looking at several of our competitors, they sought out the help of FleetPartners to manage their small but mighty fleet of eight vehicles.
“We’re a small company – we don’t have a fleet of 50 or 100 cars. But FleetPartner’s operating lease has been a good way to manage our fleet, end-to-end. It let’s us focus on what we do best – our coffee and our products. And we let FleetPartners take care of everything else from a fleet management perspective.”
A carbon neutral partnership
Pablo & Rusty’s is on a mission to positively impact people and the planet through coffee. And this shows through the coffee roasters numerous sustainability certifications including B Corp, 1% for the Planet, Carbon Neutral Organisation Certification, and Fair Trade, to name a few. Abdullah tells us, for this reason, it was crucial they found a partner who could match them on their sustainability journey.
“We’ve always been a sustainability-focussed business, it’s quite an important factor for us. FleetPartners are now carbon neutral – one of the few companies in this space. They also take electric vehicles (EVs) very seriously. Our values align and that’s what attracted us.”
Abdullah adds that eventually, Pablo & Rusty will move to an EV fleet. And although they’re not ready yet, having a partner who understands the space is key.
“FleetPartners has been proactively looking into EVs and how they can facilitate this transition for us. They’ve also invited us to exclusive EV partner events, where we can test drive EVs to prepare for our EV journey.”
“It’s easy – and it makes sense for business”
Abdullah tells us FleetPartners fully maintained operating lease has definitely made life easier for his business.
“FleetPartners have been very responsive – even when dealing with our small to medium level fleet. And this stood out. Their level of customer care was above their peers. When you have accidents or need repairs, FleetPartners comes to you. This allows your people to keep focusing on work,” Abdullah says.
“Our core business is providing amazing coffee that’s good for the planet – it’s not in fleet management. We don’t want to take time away from our core. It’s much easier to go with FleetPartners. It makes a lot of business sense.”