Parap Fine Foods marks 50 years of gourmet success

PARAP Fine Foods is as close to a landmark business any suburban family-owned operation can be

Paula Dinoris and Neville Pantazis celebrate 50 years of Parap Fine Foods on Sunday, August 19, 2018 Picture: Keri Megelus

PARAP Fine Foods is as close to a landmark business any suburban family-owned operation can be.

And last night, several hundred of its extended family and customers celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Husband and wife team, Napoleon (Paul) and Irene (Rene) Pantazis opened a fruit and vegetable shop in what is now Prickles Restaurant on June 28, 1968.

A little over a decade later they would move to their existing home, and along the way serve the gourmet desires of four generations of Territorians, which is no mean feat in a world where supermarket giants are ruthless.

“I had a cafe and snack bar where the Victoria Hotel is,” Mr Pantazis, 86, recalls. “I stayed there for about five years. Then the hotel sold to the Carlton Brewery. They said I had to be out of business for six months while they made changes. I couldn’t afford to be out of business that long.

HOME: Parap Fine Foods deli manager Erwan Desvalois, owner Neville Pantazis and wholesale manager Sebastien Kornprobst in the cellar with some of the shops cheeses in 2016

“Parap Shops had no fruit and vegetable shop. There was only Sam Calvi’s in Smith St.

“So I thought I would open a fruit and veggie shop in Parap. I had the opportunity, I had the shop and so I started.

“And then it was getting a bit bigger, I put frozen stuff in and then I put a small delicatessen and slicing machine in.

“I ended up supplying nearly 100 trawlers with their provisions.”

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In the mid 1980s son Neville and daughter Paula took on greater roles and started a transformation to what it is today. “I walked into David Jones’ food hall and it was like an Aladdin’s cave,” Neville said.

“For me, David Jones back in the 80s was like a mecca of food and I think that’s where the transition really sunk in.

“I asked why can’t we go to the next level of doing what places like David Jones are doing.”

The timing of change also forced through the arrival of 24-hour supermarkets and Sunday trading for the major chains.

“I still remember Marshall Perron’s (former Chief Minister) words to small independent supermarkets: ‘Guys this is happening. This is real. The government is not going to stop 24-hour trading and we aren’t going to stop Sunday trading. What has to happen is you have to get smarter and you have to change or you are going to close.’

“And it was as simple as that.”

Rene said it was the community support which made them successful and kept them going.

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