Selling his half share in popular food retailer Boatshed Markets four years ago has proved to be a successful move for John Travers.
Selling his half share in popular food retailer Boatshed Markets four years ago has proved to be a successful move for John Travers.
He left his business partner Michael Pember to concentrate on the retail business and took with him Boatshed’s wholesale division, moving it to dedicated premises in Osborne Park and renaming it Freshcorp.
Four years ago it turned over 1.8 million, today it’s at $7 million and next year revenue earnings is estimated at $10 million.
The growth has come from winning major government contracts worth about $3 million in the past year.
Mr Travers said the fruit and vegetable wholesaling business did not have the facilities to pick up major contracts when it was run out of Boatshed, however, it was now winning several big contracts.
Freshcorp has just begun a trial with an international fast-food retailer which, if successful, would be a $2 million a year enterprise.
“I guess the catalyst was getting bought out. I preferred the wholesale side and we had limited room and in the three years since moving out we tripled our turnover,” Mr Travers said.
“We’ve got the room now to go out and tender for major contracts and were able to develop the grower network because we are just off the freeway and it’s easy for them to access us.
“It was very difficult from Cottesloe.
“Plus now we have the capacity to buy volume from them.”
Freshcorp supplies some of WA’s biggest caterers and restaurateurs as well as various government departments.
It sends fresh produce to places like El Questro and according to Freshcorp regional service manager Dean Hathaway, the company services 80 to 90 per cent of the Broome market for fresh fruit and vegetables.
Mr Travers said the business was focused on delivering quality produce at competitive prices with good service.
The company recently won the Stirling Small Business Awards best service Award and day manager Duc Hong Hua won the Staff Member of the Year award.
“We supplied the Superstar Leo and the Black Watch (cruise ships) earlier this year, I think we sent 37 pallets to the Black Watch and we didn’t have any rejections and that led to the Australian navy contacting us and we’ve now got a contract with them for two years, that’s worth $500, 000,” Mr Travers said.
“We’re in the process of supplying a major fast-food chain, we’ve just started a trial with them and if that comes together it will be worth $2 million.”
Mr Hathaway said Freshcorp offered customers something different, from product to service, which was helping the company grow market share.
“We have over 550 items. We sell 15 different types of tomatoes so we go to that next level and we source products for people who can’t find it anywhere,” Mr Hathaway said.
“Our packaging is also a point of difference.
“ We have clear plastic bags so people can see their order rather than having to tear up bags to check it. And we present it well – chefs don’t throw things on a plate so we artfully present out orders.”
Mr Travers said the increasing number of chefs coming from Melbourne and Sydney to work was also boosting demand at Freshcorp.
“They come here and realise they can’t get what they had there but we import a lot of things from the east coast,” he said.
