John Martin dreamed of creating a beautiful coffee van for a long time – one that offered quality coffee and had a bit of character. When he suggested the idea to Mike Murphy from Kokako Organic Coffee last year, Mike immediately suggested John find himself a Citreon H van. These were utility vehicles designed in 1947, and sold across France and Europe for 34 years. Around 500,000 of them were made, but there are only a handful in New Zealand. One arrived on a container ship about 5 months ago and is now the Tin Man, located at 79 Felton Matthew Rd in Glen Innes during the week, and cruising events, festivals and markets on the weekends.
John sourced the 1967 van (named Rene by his wife) from France through a broker, who told him it was in okay condition. When it arrived from Provence on the container it was covered in rust and falling apart. It wouldn’t start. John has a video from the transfer station of one of the delivery guys “driving” past in the van, with three of his friends behind pushing it. They told him it looked like something out of one of the Transformer films – something from a junkyard heap.
Refurbishing Rene was a daunting prospect, almost every panel had to be removed, blasted and re-sprayed. They completely replaced the engine. During the months of work, John found a 1968 French franc lodged in the door and couldn’t help but imagine it rattling around the quaint roads of Provence for decades before making the trip to New Zealand.
Today, Tin Man is almost unrecognisable from its former self, so sleek and shiny and adorable. Branding and design was masterfully done by Jonathan Templeman at Design Dairy, he created a gorgeous hand-drawn font that’s remeniscent of the lettering on H vans of the post-war era.
John’s commitment to creating a quality coffee experience is why the van has a beautiful Ferarri-red La Marzocco machine. He’s brewing Kokako Organic’s fairtrade, organic Aotea blend. The coffee will be made by experienced barista Graham White. In summer Tin Man will serve Kapiti ice cream by the scoop, and he’s looking at a range of lunchtime-friendly cabinet items as well.
Tin Man’s byline is “Coffee with Heart”, which is the sweetest thing, but having spoken to John about the project for about an hour, it also couldn’t be more clear how true a statement it is. This is clearly a love project, he has poured such care and thought into every minute detail – from re-printing the French “instruction” labels for the van’s instruments, to sourcing the bulbs for the golden headlamps.
Tin Man is such a beautiful sight, and although it’s only been in place in Glen Innes for two days, people are driving past and staring and smiling. It’s obvious that little Rene is going to win over the neighbourhood in a heartbeat.
Keep an eye out for The Tinman outside The Cloud on Monday, where it will be serving coffee to the good folk attending the Good Food forum, otherwise keep an eye on instagram @thetinmanvan to find our where he’s headed next.