We’d heard about vehicles that ran on alternative fuels, and the one that really caught our interest were those that ran on propane. We learned that propane burned much cleaner than any other combustible fuel, so the impact on the air that we breathe would be far less than with any other kind of vehicle. The propane could also be used to heat the oven and hot water as well. We received a lot of helpful advice from Guy Marchand, owner of Budget Propane. The search began for a used propane powered truck. (Re-use, recycle!)

After a lengthy search, we located a suitable used truck on craigslist.org, in Portland, Oregon - just a hop, skip and a long flight away from Montreal! I flew out to Portland where the seller generously greeted me, brought me home to meet his wife & family, cooked me a homemade dinner, and introduced me to my new truck. After the truck passed its initial inspection, we shook hands, completed all the paperwork, and I started on my 5,000 kilometer journey back to Montreal. (Note: If you’re ever in the mood for some time to reflect on your next business venture, I suggest buying a used truck in Portland and driving it back to Montréal! Here’s how it looked at a rest stop on the Wyoming-Nebraska border.)

Before

Once home, the truck went in for a complete inspection, along with numerous repairs to the power train. Following that, the truck went into a local RV centre to have the major equipment installed, including a propane generator, an oven, heating & air conditioning, hot & cold running water, and solar roof panels with a series of batteries to power all of the on-board appliances.

After

From there it was over to a specialist, Multivan, who worked the interior finishing. First they cut out two large holes with hinged door flaps, to make way for the service door and the LCD television. They then insulated and covered the walls and ceiling, and built counters, cupboards and work areas. Every detail was important because every inch of space had to be looked at from an efficiency standpoint.

After that, the next stop was the installation of a complete audio–video system, including DVD player, Apple TV and wireless microphone system. To keep all this secure, a state of the art security system was also installed.

Up until this point, while the interior had undergone a major transformation, the exterior of the truck looked virtually the same. Which is why the last transformation has proved to be the most astounding.

With the help of our brilliant graphic designer, Peter Kelly, and the talented team at Lettra D. Sign, the exterior of the truck was transformed from a white box into a heavenly, fantastic mobile bakery that conveyed all the messages we wanted to express: freshness, delicious taste, environmental friendliness, nostalgia, and most importantly – FUN! After almost a year, with just the last few touch ups on bumpers & wheels and a sign on our front window, Urgence-Biscuits was finally ready to hit the road!