Ochre Restaurant and Tropic Spirit Catering find success with joint delivery service

If you’ve ever wished you could order all your groceries and alcohol at once, saving trips to two different stores, one long-time Cairns business is here to help.

IF you’ve ever wished you could order all your groceries and alcohol at once, saving trips to two different stores, one long-time Cairns business is here to help.

Ochre Restaurant and Tropic Spirit Catering joined forces in late March to offer Craig Squire’s delicious Far North-inspired meals and an essential grocery delivery service.

The businesses have been able to retain all their key staff by changing their operating model, although the JobKeeper wage subsidy has been needed to keep pay cheques at normal levels.

The new combined entity has been recording about 30 deliveries per week.

“Tropic Spirit has had a hard time even before COVID-19 shutdowns as we lost 40 per cent of our business with one weeks’ notice,” said Mr Squire.

“Our client Experience Co. was so quiet they pulled the catering we did for Big Cat over the past 20 years and Raging Thunder Ballooning and Fitzroy Island lunches, which we’d done for seven years.

“Then when tourism was shut down our main customer Sunlover Cruises obviously stopped and we had nothing.

“So we have created a new business doing meals and groceries deliveries and supporting local producers.

“Ochre waiters are helping with deliveries and we have also been donating our meal packs to the students at the Study Cairns Student Hub.”

As well as Ochre’s ready-to- eat meals delivered to homes around Cairns seven days a week, there are also Tropic Spirit meal packs and freezable meals for purchase.

There is also free delivery on grocery essentials and the best part is you can order up to three bottles of wine as well.

“We have been operating now for three weeks so the services are well established,” Mr Squire said.

“We have a growing customer base and lots of repeat business.

“The aim is to provide a service to Cairns by offering a range of essential food grocery items supporting local producers.

“Meat, fish, eggs, dairy, vegetables and fruits will make up the shopping cart including goods from Morganbury Meat, Gallo Dairy, Mungalli Creek, Yamagishi and Skybury Coffee.

“Customers of Tropic Spirit and Ochre will be able to add on grocery items to their orders, too.

For example, order dinner from Ochre and get some bread, milk, eggs, steak and vegies delivered for the next day’s meals.”

Customers can also call to check whether toilet paper and paper towels are available.

To place a meal or grocery order, click here or here.

Originally published as Ochre Restaurant and Tropic Spirit Catering find success with joint delivery service