Danielle and Tina

For sisters Danielle and Tina Garipoli, food is in the family. That’s not just because they are Italian, but because their extended family has been involved in food retailing through Ferguson Plarre for more than a decade. The family now owns seven stores, with three generations involved with the franchise.

Danielle (26) and Tina (29) recently opened their own store in Keilor East.

“Danielle and I have run our Ferguson Plarre business for four years and when the opportunity came up to move to this new location, we jumped at the chance,” she said.

“Our first day of trading was so successful we needed an additional delivery of product half way through the day!

“One of the best things about this business is getting to know our customers and becoming a part of the community fabric. We've always been made to feel so welcome and we thank the community for that.

“Of course quality is everything. Our customers are very quality conscious – I’d say four out of 10 would ask me every day if their product was fresh. It’s great to say yes every time.”

Susan and Peter

One of the freshest faces at Ferguson Plarre is the Rosebud store, owned by Susan Hodges and Peter Miller. And it’s the start of fulfilling a long-standing dream.

“We had always wanted to own a coffee shop and, when we were looking at our options, we knew that it would be tough going to start Sue and Pete's café,” Sue said.

“It was an easy decision choosing Ferguson Plarre. I grew up with Ferguson Plarre – my family were customers since I was a child and I’ve really never stopped. The products are amazing and over all those years the quality and consistency has stayed at the highest standard. Since we opened it’s boomed from day one.

“The care the business has for the community and environment is important as well – it makes all the difference with our products. You can see the signage in our store about the real ingredients – I love having that up there. We have customers ask how we make the custard tarts and I can talk about there being nothing powdered – it’s all real. I'm really proud about it.

“Before we opened we had all the training we needed and if we have any questions or we need help with anything we get access straight through to the head office team. The daily ordering system is simple to use and really from day one you’re off and running.

"You do have to work hard for anything in life if you want to be successful but you have all the support you need here."