Good Mates Removals delivers on a dream

When Vitor Berkenbrock migrated to Australia from his home country of Brazil back in 2016, he barely spoke any English. But, he had a dream of owning his own transport company with a relentless worth ethic to boot.

Fast-forward to today, and Vitor, alongside his wife and business partner Suzie, is running Good Mates Removals, a thriving transport, storage and logistics company with operations across the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sydney.

The story of how they got here is a testament to grit, Brazilian charm, and a smart business strategy the duo has maintained as the company has grown, now boasting 15 permanent staff and a fleet of seven Hino trucks.

"After arriving in Australia I noticed a lot of utes on the road carrying fridges, couches, and mattresses," Vitor recalls. "I wanted to start doing deliveries, but my English wasn't good at all."

Undeterred, Vitor printed a stack of business cards asking prospective clients to text him rather than call, which allowed him to paste their inquiries into translation apps on his phone. He’d then draft a quote and build his vocabulary once he landed the job.

It was during these early runs that he met Suzie, a fellow Brazilian who had arrived in 2017. Vitor was from the north, while Suzie was from the south of Brazil, so given the country’s 213-million-strong population, they probably always had a better chance of meeting here.

"He actually moved a mattress for me!" Suzie laughs.

"I was a student and I had bed bugs on my mattress, but I had no money! I called him and asked, 'Can you save me?’.”

Not long after, Suzie was working as a chef in commercial kitchens while helping Vitor on the side with branding, marketing, and finances. By 2021, as the workload escalated, she hung up her apron to join Good Mates full-time.

By 2020, Vitor’s humble one-ute fleet grew to include a 2001 Hino 300 Series (Dutro) box truck, and this allowed him to ramp up Good Mates as he helped countless people between Brisbane and the Gold Coast move house.

Residential moves were steady, but in 2022 Good Mates landed its first commercial client delivering healthcare equipment, beginning an evolution that would see the company branch into specialised medical logistics.

"Delivering hospital beds, recliner chairs, and medical equipment to seniors required a completely different level of care and patience," Suzie explains.

"We weren't just dropping things off; we were assembling equipment, showing clients how it worked, and listening to them. That high standard set us apart."

As the company’s service offering, and client mix, expanded, so too did its fleet of trucks.

Before settling on a brand, Vitor tested the various light- and medium-duty options, but he says the combination of driveability and honest service inched Hino ahead of the competition.

 "I drove all the other key options, and they were good trucks, but I found the drivability of the Hino to be much better and the dealer experience was really positive," Vitor explains.

The fleet expansion started in 2022 with two used 300 Series models sourced from a Sydney dealership, before Vitor bought his first brand-new Hino in 2023 from Sci-Fleet Hino on the Gold Coast.

For immigrant business owners navigating unfamiliar commercial landscapes, dealership support proved crucial.

"Being immigrants, there was a lot we didn't understand early on," Suzie explained. "Sci-Fleet wasn't just selling us trucks – they gave us guidance, advice, and actual consultation. They’ve been amazing to us."

Their fleet currently includes seven trucks comprising a mix of 500 Series FE Standard Cabs and 300 Series 921 and 616 models, with another 300 Series currently on the way.

Vitor also intentionally keeps his truck footprint tailored to local work, because access remains a key requirement.

"For residential and inner-city delivery, access is everything," Vitor points out. "A big truck often can't park in tight CBD loading zones or narrow driveways. If we need more capacity for a big job, we’d rather send two smaller trucks rather than one big one."

Today, Good Mates services a number of major healthcare distributors, alongside interior designers, machinery suppliers, and clients moving delicate items like baby grand pianos and pool tables.

To support this shift from standard house movers to an all-in-one logistics provider, they established a major hub in Arundel on the Gold Coast featuring a central warehouse, an operational depot, and 30 storage containers for receiving overseas freight.

"We present ourselves as a complete transport and logistics solution now," says Vitor. "Commercial work offers ongoing contracts, better stability, and allows us to use our storage and container-devanning capabilities".

While residential moves still account for 70 per cent of their business, the pair aims to shift toward a 50/50 commercial split in the coming years.

“But, we still always want to offer our residential service, with the same high standard we are known for,” Vitor reiterates.

Walk into the Arundel office today and you’ll likely be greeted by Molly, the couple's Jack Russell terrier, who holds the official title of 'Wellness Manager' at the company. The rest of the 15-strong team is almost entirely Brazilian, chosen for their worth ethic and warm demeanour.

"Brazilians are naturally warm, friendly, and hard-working," Suzie says. "Moving house or receiving heavy medical gear can be stressful. We make sure our guys turn up in clean uniforms, driving clean, modern trucks, with a genuine smile on their faces.”

As the South-East Queensland region gears up for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, Good Mates is positioned in the key growth corridor between Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

But while the future looks bright, they want to grow sustainably rather than getting too big for their boots.

"We don't want growth just for the sake of growth," Vitor emphasises.

"If you get too big, you lose quality, overheads go up, and your profit margin doesn't actually grow. In five years, we see ourselves capped at around 10 to 15 trucks. We’d rather stay tight, profitable, and known for absolute excellence".

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