Gippsland business owners join forces to stay afloat in lockdown
Gippsland producers are finding team work is key to surviving the economic fallout of the pandemic. See what they’re doing to stay afloat.
Victoria Business
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The power of working together has never been more evident than in South Gippsland, where producers are banding together to fight the economic fallout of COVID-19.
Trulli Pizzeria in Meeniyan and Gurney’s Cidery in Foster have shown how joining forces can have a positive effect during these challenging times.
The businesses have been offering takeaway pizza and cider packages during the lockdown.
“The power of this pandemic is the realisation that working together is the only way to survive,” said Franceso Laera, who with wife Rhia Nix own Trulli and Gusto Gelateria in Wonthaggi.
THE POWER OF TEAMWORK
Gurney’s Cider, owned by the Gurnett family, are also advocates of the benefits that come when local businesses work together.
The cidery, on 28 hectares of farmland overlooking Wilsons Promontory National Park, has 6000 heritage cider apple trees.
Pre-pandemic, 85-90 per cent of profits were from cellar door sales.
Currently, the business is focusing on building its wholesale and retail activities.
“When we opened at the end of 2018, the cellar door became the beast of the business. It consumed huge amounts of cider and we actually ran out in our first year,” Tom Gurnett said.
“We’ve done a 180-degree turn in how the business operates and we’ve had good support from local independent liquor stores and IGAs who’ve been willing to stock our cider.”
Gurney’s has also worked with the Prom Coast Food Collective, a collaboration between family farmers and local producers in South Gippsland bringing local products to customers. The Collective includes wine, honey, organic fruits and vegetables, cheese and organic beef and lamb.
“Since COVID, they’ve seen an explosion in business. Partnering with them has been phenomenal,” Mr Gurnett said.
“We’ve also been collaborating with local businesses, like Trulli and doing a takeaway pizza and cider package once a week. They open a pop-up shop here and customers can buy pizza, some of Trulli’s other products and our cider. The past few months have brought businesses together.”
As they have been supported by neighbouring business owners, Mr Laera also buys local produce and ingredients for the pizzeria and bakery.
Within two weeks of being forced into lockdown, the Trulli owners invested in a bakery oven.
Their gelataria had already started making Italian and French-style pastries but the new oven allowed the business to begin making sourdough bread and Sicilian cannoli.
“There was a gap in the market and the sourdough and cannoli helped us survive,” Mr Laera said.
Local residents, cafes, butchers and supermarkets were quick to buy the sourdough and cannoli to help keep the business afloat and the bakery also did home deliveries.
“Other local businesses realised how bad our situation was and wanted to give us a hand,” Mr Laera said.
THE STRUGGLE TO KEEP EMPLOYEES
Several of the Italian employees didn’t qualify for JobKeeper leaving the business to shoulder a significant financial burden.
“They have specific skills that are hard to find locally, so we sponsored them to come to Victoria. They teach their skills to our young employees, so everyone benefits. When the pandemic began, we didn’t want to send those people home, but it has been very tough,” he said.
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Meanwhile, with JobKeeper and family savings providing vital financial support, Gurney’s has harvested apples and produced cider ready for the upcoming summer season.
The family is also continuing with the Arch Project which will see the construction of the world’s largest underground cider cellar. The building uses materials recycled from the defunct Hazelwood mine and will stretch 30m.
“I think people understand the immense damage that has been done to businesses, so they want to support them,” Mr Gurnett said.
“This pandemic won’t last forever and we sense the opportunity in people not being able to go on international holidays initially and instead visiting their own backyards.”