The Fruit Of His Labours

Sydney Morning Herald:

Bill Kollatos is the epitome of the hard-working small businessman.

Before franchising his fruit and vegetable delivery business, Yarra Valley Farms, he was spending so much time at the company’s warehouse that he decided to move in.

He rented out his St Kilda apartment and built a living space in the warehouse in Melbourne’s northern suburb of Coburg. He even built a shower.

Although, the problem was it was located on the opposite side of the warehouse to his sleeping quarters.

Staff members who have been with the company since its inception still recall the days when the bleary-eyed boss would emerge in the early hours of the morning, and shuffle across the warehouse floor in his robe.

‘Sometimes if I’d had a really late night, I’d get up in the morning and I could hardly see. Everyone would have to move trolleys out of the way,’ he laughs.

That was 4 years ago. Now, there’s a new warehouse about 8 times the size of the original and 7 franchisees deliver fresh fruit and vegetables to more than 500 cafes, bars and restaurants across Melbourne.

The company, which made the push into franchises last year, is set to expand further into retail franchises in Victoria while also establishing the distribution business in Sydney. Read full story.

Photo: Greg Newington.