How a community grocery network became an unlikely launchpad for migrant-owned businesses

Two Australian migrant founders share how the right encouragement at the right time changed everything.

Sugan arrived in Australia in 2013 after being displaced from Sri Lanka. He came by boat, spent time in detention on Christmas Island and in Weipa, and once he was able to start building a life, took whatever work he could find: farm labour, tiling, rendering, eventually transport.

It was through community food network Box Divvy that his path shifted. After saving enough to buy his first truck, Sugan approached founder Anton van den Berg looking for regular delivery work. Within months he had it. But what mattered more, he says, was finding someone who pushed him to think beyond just having a job.

From one truck to a small fleet

“Anton always encouraged me to build something of my own,” Sugan said. “He would talk to me about when it made sense to buy another truck, how to set things up properly and what I needed to do if I wanted to grow.”

Today Sugan owns two trucks, works with three drivers and contractors, and takes on extra transport work on weekends.

The support went beyond business advice. When Sugan applied for Australian citizenship, 11 local Box Divvy Hub members wrote character references for him. “It meant a lot because those people knew me through my work and through the community,” he said. “It made me realise how much my life had changed since arriving in Australia.”

From a Gumtree ad to a six-driver business

Sahil’s story follows a similar arc. He arrived in Australia in 2014 on a student visa to study information technology, working food delivery, trolley collection and transport jobs to get by. In 2017, he answered a Gumtree ad and joined Box Divvy, spending several years learning the industry and saving money before, with encouragement from van den Berg, buying his first truck and starting his own business.

That business, Ivaan Transport, now runs five trucks and employs six drivers. “I knew how to drive, but I didn’t know how to run a business,” Sahil said. “Having someone willing to share their knowledge and give practical advice made a huge difference.”

For van den Berg, stories like Sugan’s and Sahil’s reflect a deliberate approach rather than a coincidence. “We’ve always believed business success should create opportunities for the people around us as well,” he said. “If someone wants to build something of their own, we’d rather support that than keep them in the same role forever. Over the years we’ve seen drivers purchase trucks, build businesses and create employment opportunities for others. That’s something we’re incredibly proud of.”

Box Divvy now operates more than 360 neighbourhood hubs across NSW, the ACT and Victoria, supporting more than 14,000 households with access to fresh produce and groceries through local community networks. As the network has grown, a number of its delivery drivers have followed Sugan and Sahil’s path: buying trucks, building businesses, and becoming employers themselves.

“Success isn’t just about growing the network,” van den Berg said. “It’s about creating opportunities for other people to succeed as well.”

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