SYDNEY MARKET GREENGROCER AWARDS, 2004

Antico’s Northbridge Fruitworld has long been regarded as a premium supplier of quality fruit and vegetables, so when the renowned Antico brothers Joe and Sam sold their successful business in November 2002 to Charlie and Everett Evripidou there was little doubt that loyal customers of Antico’s were somewhat curious to see whether the new owners could meet their expectations.

Well, according to Sydney Markets Mystery Shopper, Antico’s Northbridge Fruitworld continues to deliver the finest quality produce and some of the best service in NSW presenting them with a Greengrocer of the Month award.

Antico’s basic lines are more than basic in fact Charlie Evripidou consciously endeavours to stock new and interesting products that will attract attention and appeal his adventurous customers. And the staff of Antico’s are only to willing to offer tastings of fresh produce to their discerning customers and make a concerted effort to educate and inform customers on selecting, storing and enjoying their premium fruit and vegetables.

Details: Shop 24, Northbridge Plaza 83 Sailors Bay Road NORTHBRIDGE. Phone: 02 99584725

Newcastle greengrocer Jesmond Fruit Barn has won a Sydney Markets ‘Greengrocer of the Month’ award for recognition of outstanding fresh fruit and vegetables retailing. Jesmond Fruit Barn has also qualified as a finalist for the Sydney Markets 2004 ‘Regional Greengrocer of the Year’ award.

Judged by professional mystery shoppers throughout the year, Jesmond Fruit Barn has been acknowledged as offering it’s customers some of the best quality fruit and vegetables, customer service and product knowledge in a regional area.

Operated by Mick Pasquale and his sons, Carlo, Domenic and Denis, Jesmond Fruit Barn is a traditional family-run greengrocer business, which prides itself on hard work and ‘good old-fashioned’ customer service.

With an eye for quality Mick Pasquale travels to Sydney Markets at Flemington five days a week to ensure he can offer his customers premium quality fruit and vegetables at the ‘right price’. While his sons take care of the store and their valued customers.

Details: 23 Blue Gum Road JESMOND. Phone: 02 49516783

Mount Colah Fruitworld has been presented with a prestigious Sydney Markets ‘Greengrocer of the Month’ award for outstanding fruit and vegetable retailing.

Judged by professional mystery shoppers throughout the year, the award recognises the tremendous efforts and dedication of Mount Colah Fruitworld in consistently providing high levels of quality fruit and vegetables and customer service to their valued customers.

According to proprietors Carlo and Carol Cusumano, when they took over Mount Colah Frutworld in 1996 the business carried a smaller range and a lot of produce was sold in quick sale buckets, potatoes and pumpkins were the best sellers and customers rated value over quality.

Details: 533 Pacific Highway MOUNT COLAH. Phone: 02 94761540

Go Troppo Fruit Market, located in the popular Fyshwick Markets, has been presented with a Sydney Markets ‘Greengrocer of the Month’ award and has qualified as a finalist for the Sydney Markets 2004 ‘Regional Greengrocer of the Year’ award.

Judged by professional mystery shoppers throughout the year, Go Troppo Fruit Market has been acknowledged as offering its customers some of the best quality fruit and vegetables, customer service and product knowledge in a regional area.

Owners Frank and Christine Commisso have dedicated themselves to operating their lively, market style fruit and vegetable business for the last 12 years. During this time, the Commisso’s have developed a reputation as offering their customers value for money and ‘good old-fashioned’ customer service.

Details: Shop 26-30 Fyshwick Markets Fyshwick Markets Cnr Dalby & Mildura Street FYSHWICK. Phone: 02 62953416

Trim Fresh, Wetherill Park, operated by Tony Trimboli and his brother Patrick has been presented with a Sydney Markets Greengrocer of the Month award as part of Sydney Markets GREENGROCER OF THE YEAR AWARDS.

Owing his own fruit and veg business was a natural progression for Tony, having grown up in the growing and retail side of the fruit and vegetables business. In 1998 at the age of 31, he opened Trim Fresh in small premises on the exterior of the Stockland Mall shopping centre in Wetherill Park.

Eighteen months later Trim Fresh was flourishing. Tony gladly relocated to the inside of the Wetherill Park shopping centre. After several moves within the centre Trim Fresh has now settled into a prominent location in the fresh food court, close to two major supermarkets. The store has eye-catching displays of quality produce and showcases the weekly specials at the front of the store.

Regular customers would be familiar with Tony’s motto “ if you are happy with the quality tell your friends about Trim Fresh, if you’re not then come back and tell me so I can rectify it”.

Details: Shop 79 Stocklands Mall Polding Street WETHERILL PARK. Phone: 02 9609 7179

Sydney’s newest greengrocer, Norton St. Grocer, located in Westfield Bondi Junction has taken out a Sydney Markets ‘Greengrocer of the Month’ award, for July 2004.

Applying retail strategies that you would normally associate with the high-end department stores, proprietors George Angelidis, Max Tomassian, Claudio and Albert Guerrera have opened the doors of their latest greengrocer store and delivered a touch of “Little Italy” to the heart of Bondi Junction.

“Norton St. Grocer has raised the bar again for the industry” said Brad Latham, Acting CEO Sydney Markets Limited. “They are to be congratulated on their ability to deliver their customers a unique shopping experience”.

Modelled on their successful Leichhardt store, ‘Norton St. Grocer’, the new Bondi Junction business truly does makes fresh fruit and vegetable shopping a pleasurable experience.

Details: Bondi Junction. Phone

Paradise Markets, located in Atchison Street Crows Nest has been awarded a Sydney Markets Greengrocer of the Month award for June 2004.

“Winning a Sydney Markets Greengrocer of the Month certainly helps us benchmark our performance from a customer perceptive and it boosts our morale” said ex Sydney Markets banana wholesaler Dominic Arcella.

Since taking over this established small business in November 2000 Dominic and his business partners Mario and Sebastian Scandura (of APFB) have set about making cosmetic and operational changes that have certainly helped to enrich their customers shopping experience.

Details: 84-90 Atchison Street CROWS NEST. Phone: 02 94392635

Michael Panetta of Panetta Fruits was literally born and raised amongst fruit and vegetables, this fact has no doubt contributed to his passion for the industry and the success of his business.

“It might be hard to believe but I really enjoy getting up early and going to the Sydney Markets at Flemington to do my buying. I equally enjoy being in the shop talking with our customers, as they keep you on track,” says Michael.

Panetta Fruits, previously known as Fruities, is an expansive store that exudes freshness and character. The displays are impeccable, the quality outstanding and the service offered by the staff and management of Panetta Fruits is among the best in the industry.

Conscience of the need to continue to grow and develop this award-winning business, Michael is undertaking extensive refurbishments to make improvements that are sure to make Panetta Fruits dazzle.

Details: Shop 2082, Fresh Food Court Westfield MIRANDA. Phone: 02 95247366

Providing outstanding quality fresh fruit and vegetables, an inspiring ambiance and exceptional customer service consistently are business attributes that have successfully earned Freshco a second ‘Greengrocer of the Month’ award.

Freshco is a stylish store with stainless steel and granite fixtures and the lighting showcases the superb range of premium quality fruit, vegetables and fresh herbs.

Fred and Jim thrive on customer interaction “we learn so much” said Jim. “We really like to inspire our customers and encourage them to try different produce, when I recommend a free recipe card, customers try it and are back next week to share how it turned out, and I really enjoy that.”

Fred and Jim Genied both acknowledge that participating in competition helps them measure their customer service and winning a ‘Greengrocer of the Month’ award tops up their motivation and boosts staff morale which in turn benefits their valued customers.

Details: Shop 1097-1099 Westfield Shopping Centre Pacific Hwy HORNSBY. Phone: 02 94823888

Since taking over Penrith Growers Market in August 2003, Gemfruitz, an independent fruit and vegetable wholesaler and distributor, has set about making aesthetic, structural and management improvements to this fresh fruit and vegetable retail business to provide the store’s loyal customers with an improved shopping experience.

Tommy Khanafer, Joint Store Manager, can often be heard spruiking specials and interacting with customers in an entertaining manner and fellow Joint Manager, John Abdow, can often be found tending to the neat displays and assisting customers.

“Receiving the Sydney Markets ‘Greengrocer of the Month’ award and the feedback from the Mystery Shopping Program assists us to benchmark our customer service performance and helps us grow our business” said Murat Acikgoz, Gemfruitz, General Manager. “I am thrilled that the hard work and dedication of our staff and management has been recognised in this way”.

Details: Shop 22 Penrith Plaza Riley Street PENRITH. Phone: 0247 321 147

Since taking over Waterside Fruit Connection located at the Sydney Fish Market on Blackwattle Bay, Adrian Coluccio and his partners Steven and Paul Moraitis have passionately driven this successful business to new levels by focusing on providing consistently high levels of service and quality.

“I start my day at Sydney Markets at Flemington where I source the freshest fruit and vegetables daily and finish my day in Sydney Fish Market helping customers. I love the atmosphere of both markets,” said Adrian.

Brimming with activity from 7am to 5 pm seven days a week they stock an impressive variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs and fresh cut flowers, however according to Adrian it’s the lemons, limes, chillies, coriander, lemon grass, parsley and avocadoes that move off the shelves the fastest as they team deliciously with seafood.

“Our fresh fruit salad and yoghurts are also popular, and we supply gourmet fruit platters for office functions and parties, wholesale to several restaurants and our regular customers are also fond of our chocolate dipped strawberries”, said Adrian.

Details: Shop 9, Sydney Fish Markets PYRMONT. Phone: 02 95522104

Whether they are serving local quality-conscious shoppers, discerning-chefs, diplomats, staff from Government House, the British High Commission or other embassies, Simply Fresh Fruit Market understands the need to deliver premium quality fruit and vegetables and value for money all year round.

According to Sydney Markets Mystery Shoppers, the staff take pride in their work and look like a team, the store presents beautifully and the displays are colourful and creative.

John and Cathy Commisso are motivated to continually develop their business, ensuring their loyal customer’s needs are met. They have recently introduced a wider range of fruit and vegetables and now sell a greater range of ready-to-go packs that include Asian stir-fry mixture, singe serve vegetable combinations (which are ideal for the elderly or singles), fresh fruit salad and green salad mixes.

Details: Woden Plaza, Phillip ACT. Phone