http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/thecode/index.cfm
Food Standards Code
All of the standards and subsequent amendments in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Code) are available from the website in word or pdf format. Hard copies of the Food Standards Code and User Guides can be purchased from Anstat Pty Ltd, phone 61 3 92781144 or on-line http://anzfa.anstat.com.au/.
User Guides
The following user guides have been developed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), in consultation with Australian and New Zealand government and industry representatives, to help manufacturers, retailers and food officers interpret and apply the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
These guides incorporate extensive interpretation and compliance advice for manufacturers and retailers on key standards, including worked examples in many cases. These guide may be downloaded from the website as can the Code or purchased from ANSTAT
Food Enforcement Contacts
Contacts List - for State, Territory and New Zealand health department officials who can provide advice on the standards.Department of Health in a number of Australian States / Territories and New Zealand have also established resources and activities to help food businesses interpret and comply with the Food Standards Code.
Contact details for government agencies dealing with food can also be found under ' Food' in the Government Index of your White Pages phone directory.
Nutrition Panel Calculator
The Nutrition Panel Calculator (NPC) a web-based Nutrition Panel Calculator (NPC) has been developed to simplify the calculation of mandatory nutrition labels required for most food under the new Code.
It has been developed to provide manufacturers with the ability to readily calculate the average nutrient content of their food products and to prepare a Nutrition Information Panel as required under Standard 1.2.8 - Nutrition Information Requirements , of the Food Standards Code.
Food Safety Standards (Australia only)
The Food Safety Standards were developed to provide more effective and nationally uniform food safety legislation for Australia. This is reflected in Chapter 3 ( Australia only) of the Food Standards Code. The States and Territory governments of Australia are implementing these new Standards
Primary Production and Processing Standards
FSANZ in now responsible for the development of Primary Production and Processing Standards within Australia. The first such standard to be developed under this new mandate will be a primary production and processing standard for seafood.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Mandatory food safety training for NSW businesses
http://www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au
The NSW Government has announced plans to introduce mandatory food safety training requirements for the foodservice industry next year.
Announcing the plans today the Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald said the rules would help safeguard NSW consumers from foodborne illnesses.
The move follows long time calls by the NSW arm of the industry body the Restaurant & Catering Association for mandatory food safety training for foodservice operators.
Mr Macdonald said the aim was to have mandatory training requirements in place by 2010 to ensure each hospitality business in NSW has a designated food safety supervisor responsible for implementing safe food handling on the premises.
“This will involve individuals being trained by registered training organisations on how to properly store, prepare and handle food.”
Mr Macdonald said the new requirements would benefit both consumers and the State’s food industry members. “About 36 per cent of foodborne illness outbreaks in NSW are the result of poor food handling in those restaurants and takeaways that don’t put food safety high on their agenda," he said. “These outbreaks cost the state $150m a year in terms of lost productivity and place a significant burden on the health service.
The initiatives have been developed in collaboration with a working group consisting of Australian Hotels Association, Clubs NSW and Restaurants and Caterers NSW, with all three organisations providing support.
Restaurant and Catering NSW/ACT chief executive officer, Robert Goldman, said the initiative represents an “important step forward for food service providers”.
“Restaurant and Catering believes this will be a vital initiative in making sure that safe food handling remains part of a food premise’s daily routine,” he said.
“Basic food safety is not difficult, but getting it wrong can have devastating consequences, destroy reputations and put customer health at risk.”
Mr Macdonald said the new requirements will be in place by early 2010.
The NSW Government has announced plans to introduce mandatory food safety training requirements for the foodservice industry next year.
Announcing the plans today the Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald said the rules would help safeguard NSW consumers from foodborne illnesses.
The move follows long time calls by the NSW arm of the industry body the Restaurant & Catering Association for mandatory food safety training for foodservice operators.
Mr Macdonald said the aim was to have mandatory training requirements in place by 2010 to ensure each hospitality business in NSW has a designated food safety supervisor responsible for implementing safe food handling on the premises.
“This will involve individuals being trained by registered training organisations on how to properly store, prepare and handle food.”
Mr Macdonald said the new requirements would benefit both consumers and the State’s food industry members. “About 36 per cent of foodborne illness outbreaks in NSW are the result of poor food handling in those restaurants and takeaways that don’t put food safety high on their agenda," he said. “These outbreaks cost the state $150m a year in terms of lost productivity and place a significant burden on the health service.
The initiatives have been developed in collaboration with a working group consisting of Australian Hotels Association, Clubs NSW and Restaurants and Caterers NSW, with all three organisations providing support.
Restaurant and Catering NSW/ACT chief executive officer, Robert Goldman, said the initiative represents an “important step forward for food service providers”.
“Restaurant and Catering believes this will be a vital initiative in making sure that safe food handling remains part of a food premise’s daily routine,” he said.
“Basic food safety is not difficult, but getting it wrong can have devastating consequences, destroy reputations and put customer health at risk.”
Mr Macdonald said the new requirements will be in place by early 2010.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Restaurant operators share their knowledge
http://www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au
Operators thinking smarter in the running of cafes and restaurant has increased in importance as a result of the pressure from the financial downturn on our foodservice industry.
With this in mind there’s a one off workshop happening this weekend for the foodservice industry aimed at providing some advice on how to make sure your business is in the best shape it can be.
A panel of successful Victorian restaurant owners and managers will join together for what is expected to be a lively event that is part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
Facilitated by hospitality industry consultant Ken Burgin of Profitable Hospitality the workshop offers people the chance to learn from industry leaders including Alistair Drayton (The Dunes and The Max Restaurants), Ben Higgs (Wild Oak Café), Olivier Normandin (Chez Olivier), Craig Penglase (Circa The Prince), and Enzo Pollifroni (Polly Bar).
The workshop to be held at Polly Bar in Fitzroy this Saturday will cover topics including:
How to have success with staff. Your biggest expense and management challenge—the joys of staff recruitment, retention and management.
Discover the secrets of the kitchen—how to handle the chef and kitchen staff, especially if they know much more than you.
What equipment, design and marketing strategies will ensure a profitable operation? Cost control and financial management—how to make a profit.
Tricks and traps for the unwary, preparation for due diligence if you are buying a business, information about the latest trends, licensing, legal and purchasing issues.
For information on other Melbourne Food and Wine Festival events head to www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au
For information on Profitable Hospitality go to www.profitablehospitality.com
-->
Operators thinking smarter in the running of cafes and restaurant has increased in importance as a result of the pressure from the financial downturn on our foodservice industry.
With this in mind there’s a one off workshop happening this weekend for the foodservice industry aimed at providing some advice on how to make sure your business is in the best shape it can be.
A panel of successful Victorian restaurant owners and managers will join together for what is expected to be a lively event that is part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
Facilitated by hospitality industry consultant Ken Burgin of Profitable Hospitality the workshop offers people the chance to learn from industry leaders including Alistair Drayton (The Dunes and The Max Restaurants), Ben Higgs (Wild Oak Café), Olivier Normandin (Chez Olivier), Craig Penglase (Circa The Prince), and Enzo Pollifroni (Polly Bar).
The workshop to be held at Polly Bar in Fitzroy this Saturday will cover topics including:
How to have success with staff. Your biggest expense and management challenge—the joys of staff recruitment, retention and management.
Discover the secrets of the kitchen—how to handle the chef and kitchen staff, especially if they know much more than you.
What equipment, design and marketing strategies will ensure a profitable operation? Cost control and financial management—how to make a profit.
Tricks and traps for the unwary, preparation for due diligence if you are buying a business, information about the latest trends, licensing, legal and purchasing issues.
For information on other Melbourne Food and Wine Festival events head to www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au
For information on Profitable Hospitality go to www.profitablehospitality.com
-->
Small Business, Big World
http://www.forbes.com/
Dan Brutto
International clients can keep your company buoyant in tough times.
As the nation focuses on healing Wall Street, it's critical that we don't overlook Main Street. American small businesses, which employ half of the nation's workers, have the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit to drive our economic recovery--if we give them the tools they need to succeed.
And opening the doors to global trade is one of the best, but least talked about, ways of fostering small-business growth.
While this may seem counterintuitive as the stimulus bill's "Buy American" provisions dominate headlines, international trade can help small businesses stay strong in tough times by helping them diversify and by shielding them against the risk of being dependent on one market.
Access to global markets can move a new business from a backyard garage to a local warehouse to a global network. In fact, small businesses that export are 20% more productive and have 20% greater job growth than non-exporters, and they are 9% more likely to stay financially solvent.
The opportunities from global trade also can help fuel the entrepreneurial spirit we need right now. In a recent nationwide UPS survey of small businesses, 91% of small-business owners said that in one year, they expect their company to be in the same or better financial shape than it is today.
But of the respondents, small-business owners who engage in international trade were even more likely to project that their business would be in a better economic position 12 months from now. So keeping these economic engines humming by facilitating trade in today's tough times is critical.
To open trade doors for small business, the first thing we must do is prevent a potentially costly mistake: the resurgence of protectionism. Protectionism did not help the U.S. climb out of the Great Depression. In fact, in the wake of protectionist laws, world trade declined by 66% between 1929 and 1934.
In contrast, the World Trade Organization estimates that cutting trade barriers across agriculture, manufacturing and services by one-third would add $613 billion to the world economy. In the U.S., trade supports millions of American jobs. In fact, according to the U.S. Treasury Department, as many as 57 million Americans now work for companies engaged in global commerce.
At a time of economic uncertainty, America's exports are growing and helping the U.S. economy, not hurting it. Small businesses sold nearly $263 billion in known exports in 2006 (the latest data available)--that's up 68.7% from 1996. Clearly, entrepreneurs are recognizing the benefits of trade, and we should do what we can to help them harness the power of trade to grow their businesses.
To be sure, while trade has clear benefits, it also presents challenges, from learning about new markets to complying with complex customs regulations. Fortunately, there already is in place a network of resources available to help small businesses through the Small Business Administration and the U.S. Commercial Services, which have numerous export centers nationwide.
At a time when funding government programs is under the microscope, we must make sure that these organizations have the resources they need so they can help small businesses trade. In today's market, access to financing is critical. Expanding beyond borders requires an initial capital investment--something that's not easy for many small-business owners.
The U.S. Export-Import Bank and the Small Business Administration can help small businesses finance their global expansions in a manageable way. As credit markets tighten, legislators and the business community must do what they can to make sure these organizations keep credit open to help small businesses succeed.
As we work toward economic recovery, the most important thing for small businesses to know is that trade offers opportunities even during these difficult times, and there are resources that can help them expand to new markets.
But it is up to lawmakers, trade associations and the business community at large to empower small businesses with the tools they need to succeed on the world stage--which, in turn, will help preserve the optimistic, entrepreneurial spirit we need for economic recovery.
Dan Brutto is president of UPS International.
Dan Brutto
International clients can keep your company buoyant in tough times.
As the nation focuses on healing Wall Street, it's critical that we don't overlook Main Street. American small businesses, which employ half of the nation's workers, have the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit to drive our economic recovery--if we give them the tools they need to succeed.
And opening the doors to global trade is one of the best, but least talked about, ways of fostering small-business growth.
While this may seem counterintuitive as the stimulus bill's "Buy American" provisions dominate headlines, international trade can help small businesses stay strong in tough times by helping them diversify and by shielding them against the risk of being dependent on one market.
Access to global markets can move a new business from a backyard garage to a local warehouse to a global network. In fact, small businesses that export are 20% more productive and have 20% greater job growth than non-exporters, and they are 9% more likely to stay financially solvent.
The opportunities from global trade also can help fuel the entrepreneurial spirit we need right now. In a recent nationwide UPS survey of small businesses, 91% of small-business owners said that in one year, they expect their company to be in the same or better financial shape than it is today.
But of the respondents, small-business owners who engage in international trade were even more likely to project that their business would be in a better economic position 12 months from now. So keeping these economic engines humming by facilitating trade in today's tough times is critical.
To open trade doors for small business, the first thing we must do is prevent a potentially costly mistake: the resurgence of protectionism. Protectionism did not help the U.S. climb out of the Great Depression. In fact, in the wake of protectionist laws, world trade declined by 66% between 1929 and 1934.
In contrast, the World Trade Organization estimates that cutting trade barriers across agriculture, manufacturing and services by one-third would add $613 billion to the world economy. In the U.S., trade supports millions of American jobs. In fact, according to the U.S. Treasury Department, as many as 57 million Americans now work for companies engaged in global commerce.
At a time of economic uncertainty, America's exports are growing and helping the U.S. economy, not hurting it. Small businesses sold nearly $263 billion in known exports in 2006 (the latest data available)--that's up 68.7% from 1996. Clearly, entrepreneurs are recognizing the benefits of trade, and we should do what we can to help them harness the power of trade to grow their businesses.
To be sure, while trade has clear benefits, it also presents challenges, from learning about new markets to complying with complex customs regulations. Fortunately, there already is in place a network of resources available to help small businesses through the Small Business Administration and the U.S. Commercial Services, which have numerous export centers nationwide.
At a time when funding government programs is under the microscope, we must make sure that these organizations have the resources they need so they can help small businesses trade. In today's market, access to financing is critical. Expanding beyond borders requires an initial capital investment--something that's not easy for many small-business owners.
The U.S. Export-Import Bank and the Small Business Administration can help small businesses finance their global expansions in a manageable way. As credit markets tighten, legislators and the business community must do what they can to make sure these organizations keep credit open to help small businesses succeed.
As we work toward economic recovery, the most important thing for small businesses to know is that trade offers opportunities even during these difficult times, and there are resources that can help them expand to new markets.
But it is up to lawmakers, trade associations and the business community at large to empower small businesses with the tools they need to succeed on the world stage--which, in turn, will help preserve the optimistic, entrepreneurial spirit we need for economic recovery.
Dan Brutto is president of UPS International.
Ask an Expert: Flexing your digital muscles can pump up business
http://www.usatoday.com
By Steve Strauss for USA TODAY
Beefing up your online presence is like getting in shape. What you must do today is flex your digital muscles.
Here's how:
1. Build website muscles. As I said, the only thing worse than no website is having a bad one.
We all know what those look like, don't we? It's the site where the homepage scrolls on for about five minutes, where the graphics are jarring and ugly, it has too much copy and slow loading graphics, and it says "© 2004" at the bottom. In short, the site looks like, not only did your teenage daughter build it for you, but no one has attended to it in several years.
What a mistake.
To me, there are two exceptionally great things about the Internet, from a small business perspective:
• It allows you access to markets you otherwise could never reach
• It allows you to look every bit as big and professional as the Big Boys.
So where do you get that great website? There are no shortage of online options.
Example: Last week, my brother (who is no Webhead) had to build a site for one of his marketing clients. So he surfed over to Microsoft Office Live (Microsoft is a company I do some work with, btw), and built his client an elegant, great looking site – for free. With a simple point and click graphic interface, and pre-loaded templates, here is but one way that anyone can get and grow online easily and affordably.
The important thing is that you take advantage of such tools. Beefing up your Web muscles will make your business less wimpy.
2. Find some "workout" partners. Going to the gym is a social activity, and in that vein, the more friends who support your efforts to get in digital shape, the better you will do.
The Web is a social medium, so it behooves you to take advantage of everything that it offers. Doing so will help you create advocates, find new customers, locate strategic partners, and drive increased sales.
There are several ways to do this:
• Get social: It's not called "social media" for no reason. Sites like Facebook and Twitter enable you to connect with other small business owners and potential customers.
I have a pal in San Francisco who created many significant and lucrative business deals via LinkedIn. He will have some project he is working on and will need to tap some business for sales or partnering or whatever. He has found that he almost always is able to get to the right person in those companies through his LinkedIn connections.
• Be Web 2.0 friendly: This era of the Internet, the Web 2.0 era, is distinguished by interactivity; people want to do more than just read about your business on your site. They expect some level of interaction. So that is what you must give them.
That means different things, from forums and videos to blogs, comments, and podcasts. Making and posting a video, for example, explaining who you are and what you do is not difficult.
• Help people find you: Your site also needs to be search engine optimized (SEO). SEO will allow your site to be found by people who share your interests, who are looking for what it is you sell.
Having keywords sprinkled throughout your site will, like Jerry Maguire, help them help you.
The point is, the more professional, social, and interactive your site, the more you will be able to grow your business, easily and affordably, and allow you to get in Webtastic shape.
Next week: Using email to grow your business
Today's tip: "Do that one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire."— Oprah Winfrey.
By Steve Strauss for USA TODAY
Beefing up your online presence is like getting in shape. What you must do today is flex your digital muscles.
Here's how:
1. Build website muscles. As I said, the only thing worse than no website is having a bad one.
We all know what those look like, don't we? It's the site where the homepage scrolls on for about five minutes, where the graphics are jarring and ugly, it has too much copy and slow loading graphics, and it says "© 2004" at the bottom. In short, the site looks like, not only did your teenage daughter build it for you, but no one has attended to it in several years.
What a mistake.
To me, there are two exceptionally great things about the Internet, from a small business perspective:
• It allows you access to markets you otherwise could never reach
• It allows you to look every bit as big and professional as the Big Boys.
So where do you get that great website? There are no shortage of online options.
Example: Last week, my brother (who is no Webhead) had to build a site for one of his marketing clients. So he surfed over to Microsoft Office Live (Microsoft is a company I do some work with, btw), and built his client an elegant, great looking site – for free. With a simple point and click graphic interface, and pre-loaded templates, here is but one way that anyone can get and grow online easily and affordably.
The important thing is that you take advantage of such tools. Beefing up your Web muscles will make your business less wimpy.
2. Find some "workout" partners. Going to the gym is a social activity, and in that vein, the more friends who support your efforts to get in digital shape, the better you will do.
The Web is a social medium, so it behooves you to take advantage of everything that it offers. Doing so will help you create advocates, find new customers, locate strategic partners, and drive increased sales.
There are several ways to do this:
• Get social: It's not called "social media" for no reason. Sites like Facebook and Twitter enable you to connect with other small business owners and potential customers.
I have a pal in San Francisco who created many significant and lucrative business deals via LinkedIn. He will have some project he is working on and will need to tap some business for sales or partnering or whatever. He has found that he almost always is able to get to the right person in those companies through his LinkedIn connections.
• Be Web 2.0 friendly: This era of the Internet, the Web 2.0 era, is distinguished by interactivity; people want to do more than just read about your business on your site. They expect some level of interaction. So that is what you must give them.
That means different things, from forums and videos to blogs, comments, and podcasts. Making and posting a video, for example, explaining who you are and what you do is not difficult.
• Help people find you: Your site also needs to be search engine optimized (SEO). SEO will allow your site to be found by people who share your interests, who are looking for what it is you sell.
Having keywords sprinkled throughout your site will, like Jerry Maguire, help them help you.
The point is, the more professional, social, and interactive your site, the more you will be able to grow your business, easily and affordably, and allow you to get in Webtastic shape.
Next week: Using email to grow your business
Today's tip: "Do that one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire."— Oprah Winfrey.
Canada's franchised cafe opens in Sydney
http://www.franchise.net.au
If you want to set up a cafe business a partnership of property developer, hospitality expert and champion barista is probably a good start. And that’s the trio behind the latest cafe brand launch in Australia, Canada's franchised Presse Cafe which officially opened its doors in Sydney with a cocktail party attended by the Canadian Consul General.
Master franchisee for Australia and New Zealand, Tony Isaac explained “Australia has been missing a little French flair. We’ve been in business for two weeks and had a great response.”
Initially Isaac and partner Halim Hachem plan to open and operate five corporate stores before franchising the brand across the country. Hachem’s barista son Charlie is running the first store and will be responsible for future training of franchisees.
Finding the right venue, the ground floor of a commercial building near Circular Quay, was helped by Isaac’s property development experience. “This took two years to come to fruition,” said Isaac. “We want to be a blue chip tenant.” The second site has already been signed up in Sydney’s Elizabeth Street and is due to open in six months.
Veronique Boisjoly, marketing director for Presse Café, was on hand to oversee the Australian opening. “We are in the business of passion,” she said. In Canada there are more than 100 franchised outlets and the brand is due to be seen on the streets of Paris with a cafe launch in June.
The success of the brand is due to its mix of product and the café setting, explained Boisjoly. In Sydney a tight menu of sandwiches, French patisserie cakes and pastries are accompanied by a coffee serve specially blended to suit the Australian market. “We don’t want to impose but to adapt to the local culture,” said Boisjoly.
If you want to set up a cafe business a partnership of property developer, hospitality expert and champion barista is probably a good start. And that’s the trio behind the latest cafe brand launch in Australia, Canada's franchised Presse Cafe which officially opened its doors in Sydney with a cocktail party attended by the Canadian Consul General.
Master franchisee for Australia and New Zealand, Tony Isaac explained “Australia has been missing a little French flair. We’ve been in business for two weeks and had a great response.”
Initially Isaac and partner Halim Hachem plan to open and operate five corporate stores before franchising the brand across the country. Hachem’s barista son Charlie is running the first store and will be responsible for future training of franchisees.
Finding the right venue, the ground floor of a commercial building near Circular Quay, was helped by Isaac’s property development experience. “This took two years to come to fruition,” said Isaac. “We want to be a blue chip tenant.” The second site has already been signed up in Sydney’s Elizabeth Street and is due to open in six months.
Veronique Boisjoly, marketing director for Presse Café, was on hand to oversee the Australian opening. “We are in the business of passion,” she said. In Canada there are more than 100 franchised outlets and the brand is due to be seen on the streets of Paris with a cafe launch in June.
The success of the brand is due to its mix of product and the café setting, explained Boisjoly. In Sydney a tight menu of sandwiches, French patisserie cakes and pastries are accompanied by a coffee serve specially blended to suit the Australian market. “We don’t want to impose but to adapt to the local culture,” said Boisjoly.
Coffee business is zooming ahead
http://www.northernstar.com.au
IN JUST three years, Zoom Coffee's success has mirrored its name, going from a double garage at Lennox Head to its own roasting and warehouse site in Ballina.
And just recently, wholesaler Zoom purchased Coffee Nirvana, adding Lattetude and Nirvana to its existing brands.
Home-grown is a strong sentiment and Zoom has two brands - Australian-certified organic Fairtrade and Australian Arabica, a local coffee grown without pesticides. Nirvana comes from a local plantation at Newrybar. Zoom's products are licensed with the Australian Grown Campaign, as well as Fairtrade.
Zoom's managing director, Mark Nancarrow, said acquiring Coffee Nirvana enabled his business to expand into the important restaurant and cafe sector and to continue its reach into other states and areas, such as premium grocery lines.
The new facility at Ballina incorporates a coffee showroom, espresso training centre and a roasting and packaging plant workshop.
Zoom was one of the first coffees locally to recognise the trend towards Fairtrade and the Rainforest Alliance, and is now established as a leader in supplying both coffee products to the wholesale market.
“At Christmas we notched up our 35th store, but now with the purchase of Coffee Nirvana we'll be selling into about 150 stores and 60 cafes,” Mr Nancarrow said.
He said he was now concentrating on building the brand in stores.
“We've had a nibble from China and South Korea. They approached us, so we sent quite a bit of coffee over there and we'll see what comes of that. I'm really concentrating on our Australian coffee - Nirvana is registered with Australian growers.
Part of Zoom's success has been in partnerships it has made with schools.
“We're very heavily into marketing and we'll go to school fairs and set up a stand for them and an espresso machine and make coffees. The customers pay, but we give the takings to the school as a fundraiser. It's good, because the school gets good money and we get our branding out in the marketplace. Instead of handing out free samples, which we used to do - this works better. And we might raise $1000 for the school,” he said.
As well as hitting a chord with the public, Zoom Coffee has a swag of awards under its belt, including two bronze medals at the Equal Golden Bean Roasting Awards.
“Zoom Coffee ranked overall in the top five per cent of roasters in Australia. We beat some of the big names in the coffee industry,” Mr Nancarrow said.
With a background in managing big newsagencies in western Sydney, Mr Nancarrow appreciates the compact nature of his business. Although with its rapid expansion, he has upgraded systems.
“We have a good inventory system which I've set up and that's important to get a handle on cash flow and what we have on the floor. I do worry about how quickly it's growing, but I'm passionate about what we do and I'm confident we have an excellent product, so I plan on getting in touch with AusTrade to look at our export possibilities,” he said.
Zoom Coffee uses local companies to supply of reusable bags and labels. And the company supplies its green coffee beans in hessian bags to minimise waste.
As well as exceptional coffee, Mr Nancarrow puts Zoom's success down to excellent service.
“That's our point of difference. I'll go around the shops each week or fortnight and tidy the shelves up or restock and say g'day, just to get a face out there. And we only roast the beans as the orders come in, it's absolutely fresh. I'm not just dumping the box and saying see you later, we actually put the stock up on the shelves,” he said.
IN JUST three years, Zoom Coffee's success has mirrored its name, going from a double garage at Lennox Head to its own roasting and warehouse site in Ballina.
And just recently, wholesaler Zoom purchased Coffee Nirvana, adding Lattetude and Nirvana to its existing brands.
Home-grown is a strong sentiment and Zoom has two brands - Australian-certified organic Fairtrade and Australian Arabica, a local coffee grown without pesticides. Nirvana comes from a local plantation at Newrybar. Zoom's products are licensed with the Australian Grown Campaign, as well as Fairtrade.
Zoom's managing director, Mark Nancarrow, said acquiring Coffee Nirvana enabled his business to expand into the important restaurant and cafe sector and to continue its reach into other states and areas, such as premium grocery lines.
The new facility at Ballina incorporates a coffee showroom, espresso training centre and a roasting and packaging plant workshop.
Zoom was one of the first coffees locally to recognise the trend towards Fairtrade and the Rainforest Alliance, and is now established as a leader in supplying both coffee products to the wholesale market.
“At Christmas we notched up our 35th store, but now with the purchase of Coffee Nirvana we'll be selling into about 150 stores and 60 cafes,” Mr Nancarrow said.
He said he was now concentrating on building the brand in stores.
“We've had a nibble from China and South Korea. They approached us, so we sent quite a bit of coffee over there and we'll see what comes of that. I'm really concentrating on our Australian coffee - Nirvana is registered with Australian growers.
Part of Zoom's success has been in partnerships it has made with schools.
“We're very heavily into marketing and we'll go to school fairs and set up a stand for them and an espresso machine and make coffees. The customers pay, but we give the takings to the school as a fundraiser. It's good, because the school gets good money and we get our branding out in the marketplace. Instead of handing out free samples, which we used to do - this works better. And we might raise $1000 for the school,” he said.
As well as hitting a chord with the public, Zoom Coffee has a swag of awards under its belt, including two bronze medals at the Equal Golden Bean Roasting Awards.
“Zoom Coffee ranked overall in the top five per cent of roasters in Australia. We beat some of the big names in the coffee industry,” Mr Nancarrow said.
With a background in managing big newsagencies in western Sydney, Mr Nancarrow appreciates the compact nature of his business. Although with its rapid expansion, he has upgraded systems.
“We have a good inventory system which I've set up and that's important to get a handle on cash flow and what we have on the floor. I do worry about how quickly it's growing, but I'm passionate about what we do and I'm confident we have an excellent product, so I plan on getting in touch with AusTrade to look at our export possibilities,” he said.
Zoom Coffee uses local companies to supply of reusable bags and labels. And the company supplies its green coffee beans in hessian bags to minimise waste.
As well as exceptional coffee, Mr Nancarrow puts Zoom's success down to excellent service.
“That's our point of difference. I'll go around the shops each week or fortnight and tidy the shelves up or restock and say g'day, just to get a face out there. And we only roast the beans as the orders come in, it's absolutely fresh. I'm not just dumping the box and saying see you later, we actually put the stock up on the shelves,” he said.
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