New York Cakes has supplied high-quality desserts to restaurants, cafés, clubs and caterers across NSW and the ACT since 1995 – and has been a business member for almost as long.
With such a big reliance on its vehicles, this family owned and operated business realised early on that it takes a team to get the job done. Cake queen Kalliope Panayiotakis gives us a sneak peek into her family’s recipe for success.
Her team delivers right across Sydney and surrounding regions, including the Central Coast, Hunter Region, Southern Highlands, Illawarra and the ACT. With such an expansive service area, New York Cakes often has staff on the road travelling long distances with perishable goods. To maintain its reputation, it’s vital to ensure things arrive on time and in good condition. Unfortunately, even in well-maintained vehicles, things can still happen on the road.
“They’ve been able to reach us in remote areas and get us back on the road.”
A call came into our team from a New York Cakes driver when their van full of products broke down outside Goulburn. Luckily, our rapid response time and Patrol expertise ensured that the order made it to the customer on time and intact. Kalliope explains, “their service is great but what’s also important to us is their availability across wide geographical regions”.
New York Cakes began back in 1995 when Kalliope’s father and uncle identified a gap in the market for quality products. Baking was very new to them both, but a love of food and commitment to hard work saw the business take off. By the time Kalliope and her brother Arthur took over the business in 2016, they were in a good place to refresh the brand and look at expanding into other regions.
“We’ve worked seven days a week and have tripled our turnover in three years.”
Kalliope tells us there are plenty more opportunities interstate and they’re looking at producing on a bigger scale. She credits their father for being open-minded in allowing them to do what they think is best for the business.
The siblings have found running the business tough at times, but for them it’s second nature. They grew up working; doing delivery runs together and working in retail stores during high school and university.
“You learn a lot along the way, both good and bad…”
Mixing family with business also presents its unique challenges, says Kalliope: “there can be yelling matches but at the end of the day, we love going home together and having family dinner and that doesn’t change”.
Indeed, they know that sometimes you have to acknowledge your weaknesses to discover opportunities to develop the business – and family seem to be able to point out your shortcomings in a way that regular colleagues never could.
A strong family foundation combined with a stellar work ethic and commitment to quality has enabled New York Cakes to survive and thrive. They’re traits we also recognise and admire across many businesses that we are proud to support. To keep your business moving 24/7 across Australia, get in touch for a chat about becoming a member.
