Popular New Farm eatery Piranha Fish Cafe closes as liquidator appointed

One of the city’s most popular cafes has gone to the wall owing the taxman a six figure sum.

One of New Farm’s most popular cafes has gone to the wall owing the taxman a six figure sum. Piranha Fish Caf has appointed liquidator Andrew Weatherley after severe staff shortages meant it was not feasible for the eatery to continue operating.

According to documents lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the cafe owes the Australian Taxation Office $190,000 with smaller amounts owed to other creditors. Comment has been sought from the cafe.

Piranha Fish Caf told customers in October that it had closed temporarily due to “chronic staff shortages.” “Piranha will have a short break from Friday, October 28, to recruit new team members,” a sign on the door of the eatery says. “Thank you and see you soon.” Located in Merthyr Village, the cafe was a popular haunt for locals wanting a feed of battered whiting, green fish curry or barbecue baby octopus.City Beat spies tell us the cafe had been struggling of late due to staff shortages, with customers served on paper plates because of a lack of people to wash dishes. Unfortunately, Piranha is not alone in facing staff shortages with the industry calling for 200,000 more staff Australia-wide to help it rebuild from the pandemic lockdowns. Scores of Queensland eateries have shut their doors due to shortages in the past year. Jeffrey Williams, chief executive of hospitality industry jobs platform Barcats Australia, predicted venues may look at closing their doors for almost half the week, offering limited menus and taking 25 per cent longer to serve customers this summer.

Piranha Fish Caf had struggled with staff shortages.

Strawberry fields

Organic farming is big business these days. Just ask the Sunshine Coast’s Brendon Hoyle, who has been named the $2bn industry’s Farmer of the Year.

Hoyle runs Ashbern Farms, which grows organic winter strawberries across 4.2ha on the Sunshine Coast as well as conventional summer strawberries Stanthorpe.

Organic farming is no longer a cottage industry with science playing a big part in getting the right result. Hoyle works with entomologists, using eight biological agents in the form of beneficial insects to replace insecticides.

Hoyle has even built his own bug vacuum to control fruit fly and other pests. He measures soil moisture, electrical conductivity and temperature with cloud-based monitoring probes. “Being part of the organic industry has enabled a paradigm shift, challenging our traditional growing methods,” says Hoyle. “Consumers need to know that the industry is growing rapidly and a range of organic produces are becoming more accessible.” Hoyle received his award from the peak industry body, Australian Organic Ltd (AOL) last week.

Queenslander Alister Ferguson, who built one of the world’s biggest and most successful organic businesses, Arcadian Organic & Natural Meat Co, was inducted into Australian Organic’s Hall of Fame at the awards.

AOL says 56 per cent of Australian shoppers have purchased organic food in the last year while 62 per cent of shoppers cited personal health as a motivator for their initial organic purchase.

Brendon Hoyle has been named Organic Farmer of the Year

Flannery funding

Richlister Brian Flannery has put more money into silica sand miner Metallica as part of a $9.6m capital raising by the Brisbane-based company. Flannery, who made the investment through his family firm Ilwella, was joined by global sand miner Sibelco and German investor Sparta in the capital raising that will help develop Metallica’s Cape Flattery project. Metallica executive chairman Theo Psaros says the raising was an endorsement of the company’s ambitions to provide high quality silica to global markets.

Earlier this year Psaros outlined ambitions to help make Brisbane 2032 the solar-powered games helped by Metallica. He hopes silica sand output from the company’s proposed Cape York operation will produce solar panels for the Gabba stadium and other venues for the Olympics. “The commercial environment for silica remains buoyant given ongoing strong demand from Asia Pacific glass manufacturers supplying the solar panel industry,” says Psaros. Psaros tells City Beat that the mine should be operational by 2024.

Brian Flannery.