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Food & drink

September

The Essential Ingredient sells a range of food ingredients, cookbooks and cookware. PwC has been appointed administrator.

Gourmet grocer The Essential Ingredient falls into administration

The high-end retailer, which has three stores and a big online operation, failed to recover from a difficult trading period during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Simon Evans
Sam Prince started the fast-growing Mexican restaurant chain Zambrero after finishing medical school.

Rich Lister’s Mexican chain locks in 400th location

Sam Prince’s will open Zambrero’s 300th store on Wednesday. Its next 100 locations are locked in.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Simon Hartley, 59, called time on his iconic Melbourne restaurant Becco on Friday.

‘Beautiful chaos’: Iconic Melbourne power diner owner calls time

Simon Hartley has hosted every prime minister since Gough Whitlam at his CBD restaurant Becco. But on Friday, he held the last supper.

  • Gus McCubbing
Charter Hall is no M&A dummy. It has put pubs owner Hotel Property Investments in play.

Get ready for haymakers at the ASX’s last listed pubs owner

A bid at a 10 per cent discount to asset-backing? Welcome to deals in 2024.

  • Anthony Macdonald
New Passionfruit Seltzer from Fellr

Can sorbet sell hard seltzer? Fellr is banking on it for the summer

The local alcohol brand faces intense competition from overseas giants, including White Claw. The tie-up with hot gelato outfit Messina appears to be working.

  • Carrie LaFrenz
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Ned Whisky brand is owned by Top Shelf International Holdings.

Top Shelf’s cash woes give shareholders one hell of a hangover

With just 1.9 quarters of funding left in the bank, Street Talk understands everything is on the table.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport

August

Founder and co-CEO of Guzman Y Gomez, Steven Marks. The ‘breakfast’ segment has delivered extra growth for the Mexican-themed fast food chain.

Guzman y Gomez is nearly a $4b company

The Mexican-themed fast-food chain is outstripping rivals in delivering strong same-store sales growth and closed at a record on Tuesday.

  • Updated
  • Simon Evans
Creditors are owed about $40m in the collapse of Mighty Craft. The Australian Taxation is owed almost $9 million.

Tax Office owed $9m in Mighty Craft collapse, debts hit $40m

The Australian Taxation Office is a major creditor to the craft beer group, which has a 25.5 per cent stake in zero carb brewer Better Beer.

  • Simon Evans

Welcome to the nature positive investing movement

Institutional investors see natural capital as the next force in corporate governance, with big implications for companies growing and selling food.

  • James Eyers
Kellanova, the maker of Pringles, has been purchased by food giant Mars.

Food giant Mars buys Pringles maker for $54b in year’s biggest deal

The massive food conglomerate will purchase Kellanova, maker of snacks such as Pringles and Cheez-Its.

  • Max Zimmerman
The Australian arm of Starbucks has turned a profit for the first time.

Starbucks ousts CEO, appoints Chipotle boss amid slowing sales

The swift change in leadership at the coffee giant comes as it grapples with weakening results in some of its biggest markets, particularly the US and China.

  • Danielle Kaye and Julie Creswell
Billson’s Beverages went into administration on July 31.

NAB is owed $12m in Billson’s Beverages collapse

The lender called McGrathNicol to “review” the ready-to-drink vodka maker four months before it collapsed. About 50 expressions of interest have been lodged.

  • Simon Evans
McDonald’s is the largest employer group to rely on the award minimum.

McDonald’s hit with multi-employer bargaining push

The retail union is using Labor’s new multi-employer bargaining laws to force McDonald’s back to the negotiating table for its first collective agreement in more than a decade.

  • David Marin-Guzman
Jon Adgemis.

Lenders tried to sell Jon Adgemis’ pubs to Justin Hemmes’ Merivale

Merivale was shown internal financial spreadsheets by one major lender, but ultimately decided against exploring a deal, sources said.

  • Primrose Riordan and Sarah Thompson

July

The economics of being your own barista in four charts

Is making your coffee at home an expensive hobby or an economically rational response to higher coffee prices?

  • Daniel Arbon
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Party on a boat on Sydney harbour.

The suburbs where Australians drink the most champagne

Baby boomers are big drinkers of imported bubbles, but younger consumers are driving demand for alternatives such as prosecco.

  • Michael Bleby
Domino’s Pizza boss Don Meij has been determined to crack Japan.

How the Domino’s Japanese dream died

The pizza business failed to recognise that Japan’s explosive growth in lockdown was due to its convenient delivery service rather than a shift in consumer taste.

  • Jessica Sier
From an early age Chad Burke discovered a love of commerce and fast-moving consumer goods

How this retail executive found his calling in the school playground

Chad Burke is one of the 2024 BOSS Young Executives. As a teenager, he had a good business selling chocolates and chips to his fellow students.

  • Sally Patten
According to a UBS supermarkets survey of suppliers, trading through April to June favoured Coles over Woolworths, while Aldi gained the most market share.

Supplier survey suggests Coles has outperformed Woolworths all year

Ahead of financial updates from the major supermarkets next month, suppliers say Coles and Aldi are picking up market share over their rivals, small and large.

  • Carrie LaFrenz
The Inspired Unemployed’s Jack Steele (left) and Matt Ford have a major stake in Better Beer. Mighty Craft owns 33 per cent.

Mighty Craft collapses after calling off merger with Better Beer

The ASX-listed beverages group owns 33 per cent of the brewery, backed by The Inspired Unemployed. But it has fallen into administration, appointing Ankura.

  • Simon Evans

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/food---drink-hv8