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Meet The Tripodis: Iconic Melbourne Providores Talk Business Evolution

5 min. read19.01.2022
By Team Zeller

Generational family businesses are a special kind of operation.

The Tripodi family has been trading at Melbourne’s famous Queen Victoria Markets for over 60 years. From humble beginnings as fresh fruit and vegetable providores, the Tripodis have adapted to the times and found highly successful ways to diversify and grow the family business – from creating a new brand of freshly squeezed juice, to offering Melburnian’s a taste of Indigenous Australia, Italy, Spain, and beyond.

Three generations have worked the cash register since the 1960s; a summer job turned life-long career for cousins and siblings alike. Natalie Tripodi is part of that third generation, helping to grow the business into new, complementary avenues.

We sat down with Natalie to learn more about the evolution of the family business, lockdown-born cooking habits, and the special place the Queen Victoria Market holds in her heart.

How has business changed through the generations?

My grandparents started providoring fruit and vegetables back in the 1960s. When my uncle and dad got involved, the business developed. As a member of the next generation of the family business, I’ve done the same and helped to develop parts of our business in my own way — offering my own input, which can sometimes uncover a completely different perspective.

Over the years, the family business has grown beyond fruit and veg. In 2001, Market Juice was born — and now our own well-known products are stocked in local Melbourne cafes, including institutions like Auction Rooms and Seven Seeds.

We’ve recently introduced a range of juices we call “the cocktail range”, because who doesn’t love a margarita or three on a night out? Our juices make bartenders’ lives easier. Instead of squeezing hundreds of lemons and limes, they can reach for their bottle of Market Juice — it’s the same thing. And it’s all completely natural, so you’re not getting any preservatives or added sugar.

What’s your next business project?

Queen’s Harvest is our new baby — it’s our high-end, specialty produce store. Think black garlic, white strawberries, finger limes. The family has always been in fruit and veg, so we thought — why not take it up a notch?

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Myself and my uncle consider ourselves some pretty fancy foodies. We’re constantly researching and keeping an eye out for anything new and upcoming. We love searching for new products and curating new collections — we’re always brainstorming, and thinking about what new and exciting products we can bring to our customers.

How have the lockdowns affected the business's growth plans?

We’ve actually noticed Melburnians have become more adventurous, especially during the lockdowns. People weren’t able to dine out, so they started getting more creative in their own kitchens. I had a customer buy one of everything, simply because they hadn’t tried the products before. The customers’ curiosity and excitement makes us want to constantly do better, and bring them something new and exciting week after week.

Queen’s Harvest has already become a one-stop-shop for anything unusual, different or quirky. We get everyone from home cooks and amateur chefs, to local restaurateurs and some big-name celebrity chefs you’ve probably spotted on TV.

Where do you source products from?

If it’s not a specialty product coming from Spain, Italy or the United States — like our white and black truffles, gourmet potato chips, and hot sauce — it’s 100% Australian. More often than not, our produce is very local. The Bippi chilli condiments are from a small-batch producer in Coburg, which is 20 minutes out of the city. We also stock a wide range of Mabu Mabu products, such as Wattleseed Hot Chocolate and Strawberry Gum, made by Nornie Bero in Yarraville — just a few suburbs away.

We’re always looking out for quality, locally-produced products, as well as special and exclusive imports that we can exclusively stock.

What does the Queen Victoria Market mean to you?

The Queen Victoria Market has been a big part of my childhood. I remember spending most weekends and school holidays there, working alongside my brothers and cousins when we were young. While they weren’t the typical school holiday plans, we loved being in each other’s company and always found a way to make work fun.

“For me, it’s also about honouring where it all began.”

We retailed in A Shed for over 60 years, and at the very same stall my grandparents established in the 1960s. It’s an honour to follow their lead and work towards growing and developing the business that began so humbly.

You’re getting customers who really appreciate good quality produce. And it’s in the heart of Melbourne CBD; we’re lucky to be in such an incredible position, where we welcome the next generation into the market and welcome in fresh ideas and new perspectives, while still remaining true to the heritage of the market. It breeds this element of family and community like nothing else.

What are some of the biggest challenges of operating at the markets?

The fact people are increasingly shifting towards card payments means it’s important to have a reliable provider. When our old terminal, provided by one of the big banks, would stop working we’d have to call them and they’d send out a replacement, but we wouldn’t be able to accept card payments until it arrived.

Also, the Queen Victoria Markets is an open-air environment, so it’s hard to say whether Wi-Fi will always be reliable. On a busy weekend, if there was an outage, we couldn’t accept cards. We had to send customers to the ATM, which is an inconvenience. Sometimes they’d say “don’t worry about it”, and leave empty-handed. Who wants to line up to get cash out?

“To have a reliable provider has been a game-changer.”

Zeller has saved the day. It’s just tap, and go. A lot of people pay with their smartwatches and even rings. Gone are the days that people carry wads of cash around. It doesn’t happen. Now, we’re able to accept the full range of cards — including AMEX and JCB cards.

How has your experience been with Zeller?

Initially, the cost savings compared to the big four banks was our motivation to switch. We’ve had other companies approach us, but none of them had the features of Zeller and the simplicity in switching over has made things so easy.

My uncle is incredibly busy and doesn’t always have the time to fuss over technology, so the level of service the Zeller Sales team provided was a huge help. It’s so nice to make a personal connection with the people behind a business — that’s what we pride ourselves on with our own customers, too.

It’s an incredible bonus to work with a payments provider that actually cares, and has a team that can come down to the market and see us. It makes us feel more connected — we’re not just a number, we’re a name.

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How Zeller solved Decoy Cafe‘s Downtime Issues

Since making the switch to Zeller, Decoy Cafe has resolved its biggest frustration. Coffee is a family affair for the Spathis’. Brothers Bill and Chris have been perfecting the art of brewing for more than 30 years, ever since their first summer holiday job working in the family’s coffee lounge. These days, the coffee connoisseurs can be found on Melbourne’s busy Exhibition Street. Every morning, Bill fires up the roaster and Chris gets to work preparing the kitchen for the busy day ahead. The smell of fresh coffee wafts out into the street, welcoming Decoy’s loyal customers in for their morning cup. But Decoy had a persistent problem. Their EFTPOS terminal, provided by one of the big four banks, would frequently drop out during rush hour — forcing them to rely on an I-owe-you honesty system. We sat down with Bill to understand more about the Melbourne coffee scene, what makes Decoy unique, and how Zeller is helping business run as normal. How did you get started in the coffee business? We’ve always been involved in coffee, it’s in our blood. As kids, we didn’t get school holidays. We would jump on a train and head for the city, to dad’s coffee lounge. We’d arrive early in the morning and help dad take orders, serve customers and make coffees. Then, when my brother and I went to Sydney for a period in the early 90s, we continued the family legacy. We established and ran Retro Cafe for about 15 years, which was next door to Sydney’s State Theatre. It became a bit of an institution. We hadn’t started roasting our own coffee yet, though. Eventually, we came back to Melbourne and landed in Flinders Lane. This is when the cafe scene became very competitive — you had to do something different to stand out from the crowd. So, we decided to roast our own coffee. It’s difficult to roast beans in the middle of the CBD, due to council restrictions, so we ended up finding the site at 303 Exhibition Street. We’ve been roasting here for 14 years now. What’s changed in the three decades since? Back in the 70s, people ordered their coffee so hot it was sacrilegious — but that’s the way most people liked it. There was also far less diversity. At one stage, most people were buying coffee from the supermarket. People are more discerning now. Most are buying their coffees from local roasters. Single origins are our specialty, and we do it well. We roast single origins from Colombia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya, El Salvador, and beyond. All our beans are roasted in small batches, which helps us to make sure every roast highlights the beans’ unique characteristics and gives more consistency within each batch. The cafe industry has changed dramatically from the 70s to now, and it’s still constantly changing. You’ve got to keep up, whether that’s with a new offering like beans, better service, great staff, or new equipment. Last year, we renovated the cafe and installed a Modbar under-counter coffee machine for a streamlined coffee service. We also recently upgraded our EFTPOS terminals to Zeller. What made you decide to switch EFTPOS terminal providers? We were with one of the big four banks, and we were very unhappy with the number of dropouts. Our EFTPOS terminal would stop processing transactions at peak periods. Our upstairs area would be packed with diners eating breakfast, while downstairs would be busy with takeaway coffee orders and there would be a queue out the door. But the terminals would go down, so none of the customers could pay — they’re not carrying cash these days. We’ve built up a strong customer base. About 95% of our customers are regulars. So, when the terminals were down, we’d take a customer's name and they’d come back the next day to pay us. We don’t have any of those issues with Zeller, so I’m happy to say we don’t need to do that anymore. Our terminal has 4G and WiFi. If the 4G network goes down, WiFi takes over — business continues, as normal. "Taking payment from a customer is simple, as it should be." How did the outbreak of the pandemic affect the business? It's been tough, I won't deny it. We have a great product and a loyal customer base and that's allowed us to keep going. The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns impacted sales, as we lost all our corporate customers when offices emptied out in Melbourne's CBD. What's kept us going is essential workers and tradespeople from nearby building sites and an increase in the number of  “home barista” customers — people buying their coffee beans from us to make their own coffee, while working from home. Tell us about working with family. We believe that being a family business has helped us succeed and stay resilient even in these challenging times. Chris and l have worked together from the very beginning, starting in our late father’s restaurant as young boys. We work well as a team and I think it’s part of what makes Decoy a success. A lot of cafe owners these days will hire a manager, but we’re owner-operators, and there’s always one of us here. We do that because we really love working with customers. We give 100% when it comes to quality, service and staff. Chris and I share those values. We rely on each other. Decoy Cafe is located at 303 Exhibition Street, in Melbourne's Central Business District. Drop by for your morning coffee, a quick snack, or lunch, or pick up a bag of fresh coffee roasted on-site (also available on the newly-launched Dark Horse Coffee Roasters website).

Bar Positano: from Food Truck to Brick-and-Mortar Eatery

Meet the all-authentic Italian food truck navigating an expansion during COVID-19. The evolution from popular mobile food truck to permanent bar, deli and cafe seems a natural progression for Bar Positano . After a successful eighteen months serving paninis, cheese boards, and other Italian delights from the bay window of their highly instagrammable van, co-owners Anthony Porra and Luca Andolfo decided to put down stumps in Sydney’s Surry Hills and shift their focus to the sit-down dining experience. Although a sudden citywide lockdown threatened to derail the grand opening of Bar Positano’s new brick-and-mortar location, the duo were quick to adapt. Celebratory spritzes were swapped for takeaway cocktails and the deli was stocked with take-home pasta so locals could dish up their own cure for those holiday cravings. We spoke to Luca and Anthony about the challenges they’ve faced so far, and why now’s the perfect time to bring a slice of the Amalfi Coast to Surry Hills. Tell us a bit about how Bar Positano first started. We first started out in the events industry, providing event hire and styling services for many weddings and other events. A lot of clients use pop-up food and drink vendors for a more casual style, so we decided to add a mobile bar to our offering. Being of Italian heritage, we thought we could offer a unique and authentic food truck, focusing on quality products and service for weddings, private and public events. Then we were in Surry Hills one evening and saw the vacant shop, which had a nice unique style and a sunny corner position. Many Australians travel and love the Italian summer atmosphere, when it comes to alfresco dining and aperitivo. We’ve always wanted to bring that experience to Sydney, and thought this would be a perfect location to test our idea. What was the biggest challenge you faced, establishing a permanent site? Being a food truck, we always tailored our menu based on the event or location we were serving. We also kept to a limited menu, as it is always a challenge working within such a small space! Moving into a physical location made us really think about our target market and demographic, as well as a gap in the market which we wanted to target. It is always challenging establishing a new business in a niche category, as you don’t know whether it will work or not. But we believe in it and really love it ourselves, so we just hope that everyone else does too. How has COVID-19 impacted your business? COVID-19 is a huge challenge to all businesses, but we decided to open up anyway as we wanted the community to see what we have to offer — albeit with a limited menu at the moment. We also sell smallgoods from the deli and pasta, sauces and other Italian products, which are a benefit to locals during lockdown. It’s the right time for us, particularly because we are opening in winter — at a time people normally head off overseas for a summer holiday. Despite the current restrictions, we’re giving customers a feeling of being overseas on holiday, or eating and drinking what they normally would if they were in Italy. We have been lucky enough to receive support from the locals, grabbing something takeaway and supporting our new business. What inspired you to make the switch to Zeller? How are you finding it? What we were looking for was a reliable system that was simple to use in a fast-paced environment. We love that the terminal not only looks good and suits our decor, but it is so simple to use with extremely low rates. The customer service and support is really great, the onboarding simple and straightforward, and the general daily use is so simple and reliable. Really happy we chose Zeller! What have you learned about running a business, with everything going on this year? To really think about our business concept, and how we can still be true to our brand and offering while remaining versatile so we can adapt as situations change.  For instance, instead of sitting down to an antipasti board and Aperol Spritz — which is what we initially envisioned — we decided to advertise takeaway deals on our social profiles and package everything up, including the alcohol, so people can enjoy the same product at home, or wherever they may be. It is so important to stay in touch with the community by communicating on social media, the website, and as best you can in store for anyone who passes by. What’s next for Bar Positano? We are really looking forward to opening our doors and having people sit down and enjoy the space. At the moment it feels like a bit of a tease, as we have only been offering takeaway coffees, panini, and a limited menu from the deli. It will be great to be able to operate at full capacity, for both our customers and staff. Do you have any advice for other business owners at this time? Stay positive, be creative and hang in there! The community is really supportive and tries to support as best they can. Restrictions will eventually lift, so just take it day by day and be flexible with your product, trading hours, and how you operate your business.

Fluent Store: from Passion Project to Profitable Business

Smart social media marketing drew a two-hour-long line on opening day. The rest is history. Since Fluent first opened doors in 2020, the streetwear store has become a mecca for sneakerheads. Collectors travel from all over to see the rare sneakers on display, while the feature wall – adorned with the latest Yeezies, Jordans, Nikes, and more – entices passers-by to step inside and grab their first pair of kicks. The strength and size of Fluent's newfound customer base is a testament to the hard work that's gone on behind the scenes. Owners Logan and Esha began working on their business plan just under 18 months ago, while working as cleaners. After finishing the night shift at 8 AM, the couple would jump straight into business planning. Since then, they've juggled the creation of Fluent’s first website, two store openings, and become first-time parents. We spoke to Logan and Esha about sneaker culture, the risk and reward of starting a business, and the benefits of selling in-person versus online. When did your love for sneakers begin? Logan: I’ve always been a fan of basketball, and the culture that comes with it – the style, the fashion. I had a few pairs of basketball shoes as a kid, but they were always hand-me-downs from my older brothers. I never actually got a fresh pair for myself. Then I moved to Australia, started getting my own money, and started collecting. Esha: Then, from 2016 to 2019, we did a bit of traveling in America, Canada, and Europe. In each country that we went to, we made a point to find the best, hidden sneaker stores. It became a passion, and we starting thinking we’d like to create something similar at home – because we believe there’s a market for it. When we returned from our most recent trip, we started listing and selling our own collection of sneakers on Instagram – the sneakers we had collected during our travels. We really, really wanted to hold on to those sneakers, but we thought if want to make something, we’re going to have to sell something. So we made the executive decision, and that's what helped us get where we are today. How did you take your first steps into business ownership? Esha: From April 2019, there was a lot of work going on in the background. It was still a hobby at that stage – it wasn’t making enough to be our main income, but it was always something we wanted to make our focus. Our main job was cleaning, and we did night shifts. After finishing at 8 in the morning, we’d have the whole day spare – which is a lot of time to think about how we’re going to kick this off the ground. So, we went from selling on Instagram to setting up our own website. Logan: We figured it would set us apart from other sneaker sellers on Instagram. If you have an online store, you look more authentic. It was the next step in authenticating our brand. I think we only had 20 people on our site the day it launched, but we thought it was amazing – we had 20 people viewing our store! So that's where we started. What made you decide to take the leap from e-commerce to brick-and-mortar? Esha: I was the one who was more reserved and said we couldn’t open a physical store until we have enough revenue, or we have enough clientele. But then the pandemic began, and commercial tenancies seemed more affordable. We already knew that Perth customers like to see you face-to-face, because Logan was out on the road meeting customers all the time, so we looked at what was in our budget. We worked out how many pairs of shoes we needed to sell to afford it, and went for it. If the worst comes to worst, we thought we could just get rid of the car if we had to! Logan: In person, we can show customers the shoes and they can really understand what they’re buying, which helps grow our online presence as well as in-store traffic. It’s also a way to put a face to the brand, and deepen the connection with customers who have been shopping with us since we started. What are you doing to drive foot traffic to your store? Esha: There's always been a couple of things that we envisioned for the store, the two most important being great lighting and a large wall to showcase our shoes. That was one of the attractions for us when we traveled; every store had this amazing sneaker wall. No matter where we set up shop, we really wanted to try and achieve that. So, we built it. Then we teased the launch on Instagram using the wall, and I think it did help in getting customers here. The day we opened the store, we didn’t even have a chance to look outside. So when we pulled the drop sheet and saw the line, it was a rewarding surprise. We didn't check our clocks until two hours later and the line was still going. It was an amazing turnout. Any store owner’s hope is that people turn up when you’re opening, or launching a new product, or anything like that. Logan: Now, everyone who comes to our store can step back and appreciate the sneaker wall. It’s Instagrammable. Customers come in, take a photo and share it on their stories – which helps us grow. How does selling in-store compare to running an online business? Esha: Most customers that buy from you online already know about your products. They already know the price point and the reasons behind it. A brick-and-mortar shop gives us the opportunity to speak with people who don’t. In-store, we’re able to explain the shoes to the customer, which really helps them understand and become educated about why a sneaker costs what it does, and the culture and history of the community. Mums and Dads for example often don’t understand the sneaker game, or why they can be expensive. But when parents come in-store, we can educate them so hopefully they leave with a bit of appreciation about it. They often leave with a pair for themselves, that matches their kids. The customer experience is one of our core values as a small business. How is Zeller helping you provide a great customer experience? Esha: Our first EFTPOS terminal, from another provider, required us to switch apps every time we processed a transaction. It left room for human error. One of the main things we knew we wanted when the business grew was a sleek, user-friendly terminal we could both use, and give to any employees we hire without having to explain difficult processes. Zeller Terminal is ten times easier to use. Ease of use is critical when you're getting a lot of foot traffic. Logan: We recently went to a sneaker convention and found Zeller Terminal helped create a more trustworthy and friendly payment experience for our customers – which we feel is important, especially when you’re dealing with rare sneakers as they’re at an above-average price point. Some other stores were accepting cash or bank transfers, but we were able to continue to accept transactions at the event using Zeller Terminal, without breaking our workflow. And the battery lasted the whole day, which was great as we had no access to power. Do you have any other plans for 2021? Esha: Fluent already stocks Fluent-branded t-shirts, but we’d like to expand the product line. For that, we need to develop a team, find the right materials, and plan for production. The goal is to have a collection underway by the end of the year. That, and making the in-store customer experience as great as it can be. By sharing your details with us, we may contact you from time to time. 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