ThunderDot Bus Boot brings wine and physically distanced good times to people in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic
No one can go out for parties at the moment. So these wine distributors are taking the party out to people’s homes.
delicious SA
Don't miss out on the headlines from delicious SA. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A large multi-coloured bus delivering organic wine to self-isolating residents across Adelaide is turning frowns upside down in the process.
The bright busload of joy is the brainchild of Sophie Button and Jordie Hansen of Thunderbus Road (a creative, roaming wine journey on wheels) and Son of Dot wine distributor Jay Marinis, who specialises in ‘living wine’ made by the likes of Commune of Buttons, Limus, Scintilla and Travis Tausend.
They call the collaboration ThunderDot Bus Boot and aim to bring wine and physically distanced good times to the people in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have a mutual love of throwing a good old party and seeing smiles on people’s faces,” Mr Marinis said. “We encourage them to stay at home while we bring the wine to them.”
The bus, complete with flashing lights and a smoke machine, rolls through the streets delivering pre-booked bottles to housebound South Australians. Meanwhile, DJ Mark Kamleh belts out songs like Beautiful Life by Ace of Base and Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive.
The reactions on the street during its debut over the weekend were heartwarming.
Surprised onlookers waved from apartment windows, danced in their gardens and blew kisses from their doorways. For recipient Polly Callcott, whose mother Amanda booked the delivery as a birthday surprise, it was the highlight of the week.
“When I saw the bus with music blasting and the people jumped out dancing with bottles of wine for me, I was absolutely speechless,” Miss Callcott said. “I thought my 18th birthday was going to be a quiet one due to being in isolation but it was one of the best and most memorable.”
Marinis, a psychologist by day, believes Bus Boot is much more than just a delivery. “As coronavirus bore down on us, I could see so much suffering,” he said. “Especially in small communities where people are so isolated their mental health issues are increasing.”
Hansen, who comes from a tourism background, and performing artist Button love watching the bus lift spirits. “We try to drag the party and the laughs out of people,” Hansen said. “We feel like we’re performing at our best when we’re making other people feel happy.”
Selling unfiltered, unfined wine on behalf of small brands is a bonus. “We make next to no money from this but driven by more than that,” Hansen said. “It always has been and always will be.”
ThunderDot Bus Boot hits the road once a week (on Fridays and Saturdays) and orders can be placed through Son of Dot’s Instagram or via mobile ordering app Bopple.
Marinis is ecstatic with the response. “It’s that feeling of a well-laid plan coming together,” he said. “Seeing people on the street bopping around, old ladies coming out of their home and waving and shaking their tail feather … it was just how I imagined it and it’s a beautiful feeling to think that we may have done some good.”