If you were looking for an ambassador, you’d likely find one in an embassy, wouldn’t you? Well, David Pai is an ambassador of sorts. He’s an ambassador for Peugeot and you’ll find him at Coffee Embassy.

David started Coffee Embassy in Christchurch back in 2014 with his business partner and head roaster Andy Norman. The business percolated for a while until it brewed up nicely.

Nicely enough that Andy felt the time was right for him to remain connected to the business but from a distance, which effectively meant David would become Coffee Embassy’s ambassador in chief.  

Andy is now living the life of luxury, but he and David stay in touch whenever David’s extensive embassy duties permit.
Coffee Embassy is a wholesale coffee supplier to discerning cafes and restaurants in the greater Christchurch area and just recently, David has been handling those deliveries with the green touch of a Peugeot e-Partner van.

This is David’s first Peugeot, the business having started with a Mazda utility, then going to a Volkswagen Caddy. “The Caddy was fine,” remembers David, “but there are no green energy options from Volkswagen, and that was the direction I wanted the business to go in.”

David was also mindful of presenting an appropriately professional image. “We wanted something which represents quality and offers functionality for the business, and by doing some extensive research over the internet, I came across Peugeot and the e-Partner.

“Even though I do cover quite a few miles, I wanted the business to promote a cleaner ‘footprint’. Peugeot’s e-Partner does that and delivers the goods, so to speak, at the same time.”

David has had his e-Partner for just over a month (at time of writing) and in that time, he has racked up over 1500kms of largely around the city running.

The e-Partner might be running around town for two or three days without using significant battery charge and then there are some days when David can clock up over 100kms.

With David’s proven real-world range exceeding 250kms on a single charge, managing the e-Partner’s energy requirements is a simple enough task. David uses the public charging network as required but the e-Partner primarily charges at home off a standard 10-amp socket.

“I might look at a wallbox shortly,” he says, “but for what I need, the public charging network is more than adequate.”
This is a credit to the infrastructure in and around Christchurch. There are days when David carries considerable weight in the form of two pallet loads of coffee beans and – as you might expect of a reputable coffee wholesaler – milk. The pallets can weigh up to 500kg each and the e-Partner handles them easily.

For most EVs, weight is the destroyer of range, but David finds the e-Partner lives up to what he expected from Peugeot’s promises of the e-Partner being capable of cargo carrying while being energy efficient.

David is also impressed with the cargo area design of the e-Partner. The combination of barn doors at the back and the twin side sliding doors is a real winner as far as loading and unloading respectively.

“Cafes don’t typically have loading areas, David explains “so having the ability to unload from the footpath is convenient and safe. Back at base, I can use a forklift if needed and get things loaded from the back with its wider door opening.  

“It’s also really car-like on the inside,” says David, enthusiastically. “I’m used to Euro interiors in passenger cars, having owned a few and the e-Partner, while still being a commercial vehicle is surprisingly familiar in terms of its appointment and comfort levels.”

Peugeot has delivered the perfect e-Partner for Coffee Embassy and David has proven the perfect ambassador for Peugeot.