As we celebrate 15 years of business, I often look back to where it all began. Jurgen and I, with 1-year-old twins and another baby on the way, were stuck in a never-ending cycle of playgrounds, coffee shops, and car trips. We were craving more—something that would allow us to break free from the routine and enjoy life as a family in a new, exciting way.
It wasn’t unusual to find me strapping the twins into their car seats, hoping to make it to the next local playground before one of them threw a tantrum. Or maybe I’d wrestle them into a bike trailer and take off, wondering if I was somehow putting my entire family at risk. Picture this: I'm pedaling down the street, and there, in front of me, is an elderly woman peering over her steering wheel, glasses thick enough to magnify her curiosity. I couldn’t help but wonder: “Did she see me, or did she just notice the trailer behind me?” More to the point, did she see my whole family sitting safely within it? The question gnawed at me, and I started thinking, there’s got to be a better way to move around.
Enter the idea of the Bakfiets—yes, that glorious Dutch cargo bike with a box up front, designed to haul your kids and all the bits of life you can’t leave home without. But here’s the kicker: we couldn’t find one anywhere in Australia. At least, not one that didn’t require a second mortgage. After some back-and-forth brainstorming, we did what any sane person would do: we ordered five of them. The plan was simple: buy five, sell four, keep one for ourselves.
It turned out we weren’t the only ones thinking like this. As soon as the bikes arrived, we quickly sold the four, and the rest, as they say, is history. It was that moment—the moment we realized there was an entire community of parents and families who were just as desperate for a better way to get around—that set everything into motion.
Now, you may be thinking, sure, but how did you go from a couple of bikes to running a full-fledged business? Well, that’s where it gets even more interesting. One conversation with Bakfiets.nl, the legendary Dutch manufacturer, and suddenly we were being offered the exclusive importer rights for Australia and New Zealand. I’ll be honest, I felt a bit queasy. A whole container in our garage in Melbourne? It sounded like a dream, but it also felt like we were standing on the edge of something huge.
So, there we were, in our rented Melbourne garage, unpacking container-loads of bikes and trying to figure out what we’d just gotten ourselves into. With a growing family (we now had three kids) and a business that was slowly gaining traction, it was a thrilling, terrifying time. But it felt right. Every time I saw our kids happily climbing into the box of the Bakfiets, with their balance bikes tucked in beside them, zooming to the playground or singing songs as they rode to the library in the Urban Arrow, I knew we were on the right path.
And that's when it hit me: we weren't just doing this for us. We were doing this for them—our kids, and every other family out there. We were showing them that transportation doesn’t have to be a stressful, isolating experience. You don’t have to get stuck in traffic, spend an hour finding parking, or—God forbid—drag your family through one more coffee shop meltdown just to escape the confines of a car. We were introducing a whole new way of life, one pedal at a time.
Fast forward a few years, and we’ve gone from that one bike to a full range of products, new websites, and a growing team of passionate people who believe in the same thing: mobility doesn’t have to be a hassle. It can be fun, empowering, and—let’s not forget—good for the planet.
We were taking our bikes to all the usual spots. School runs, swimming lessons, playgroups, even family trips to the zoo. But we’re also going places that don’t fit the stereotypical “family outing” mold: our son’s wheelchair-bound for a couple of years, so we’d hop on the tandem bike and take him along for the ride. Imagine us cruising to the shops, or down to the park, feeling free as a family, fit and healthy, all without the stress of squeezing into a car. It was nothing short of liberating.
It’s funny how you start something thinking it’s just for you. But then you see your kids, now 14 and 16, effortlessly hopping on their bikes, walking to the train station, using public transport independently, and you realize—this isn’t just about us. This is the future we’re building. It’s the future where our kids grow up free and confident, physically active, and empowered to make their own choices. If we hadn’t started this business, I’m not sure they would have had that same sense of agency.
That’s why we do what we do. It's not just about selling bikes (though, let’s face it, we do love a good bike). It's about building a society that’s more active, more connected, and healthier. It’s about empowering families to take back their time, their freedom, and their mobility.
And while I’m sure the old lady in the car never noticed the family behind me in the trailer, I know now that she would have if she had seen the kids, confident and free, riding ahead of me on their bikes. And I think that’s exactly the kind of future we want to help create for everyone.
So, if you’re wondering what we’re up to now, it’s the same thing we’ve been doing since day one: showing families that there’s a better way to get around. And maybe, just maybe, making the world a little bit more free, one ride at a time.
