Geelong business marks 20-year milestone

GEELONG Fresh Foods has reached a major milestone, with the local family-run business celebrating two decades of service to the region.

Owned by siblings Carmel Dawson and Mark and Daniel Virgona, the three opened the doors to the Packington Street business in 2005, supplying Geelong with fresh produce.

Coming from five generations of farming, the owners had a heavy influence in the business from their parents.

“We’ve come from a farming background,” Ms Dawson said.

“My mum and dad have always been into farming and also into butchering and stuff like that, so we’ve always been in that industry.”

The family takes great pride in what they supply their customers, considering many of their regulars as family within their close-knit community.

Since the doors of Geelong Fresh Foods opened, the business has witnessed multiple changes, including different trends, however Ms Dawson said the goal has remained the same.

“Since opening, we’ve always had the same vision, bringing quality fruit and veg and good quality groceries and deli to Geelong.

“We’ve had the same principle for the last 20 years, but along the way, we’ve evolved and followed the trends and kept up to date with what customers want.”

For Ms Dawson, Geelong Fresh Foods is a happy place, with customers and staff making up what she enjoys most about it, along with being able to introduce new items into the store.

“My passion is sourcing new products and bringing that to Geelong and then seeing if it works or not, that’s what I get a kick from,” she said.

The next 20 years look rather similar to the ones that have come before, with the business continuing to do what they do best.

“We love what we’re doing and trying to maintain the level of service that we’ve provided Geelong,” Ms Dawson said.

“And [we are] always going to source new items and keep things interesting in the store, but just maintain what we have and keep our customers happy.”

To celebrate the milestone, Geelong Fresh Foods will host a range of activities from October 20 to 26 including taste testings, live entertainment, a pasta eating competition, face painting and much more.

Ms Dawson thanked the community for all their support in the past 20 years of business.

“We’re very appreciative of the community always supporting us and we put in a lot of hard work and so do our staff, and it pays off with customers supporting us,” she said.

For more information and the full list of celebrations, head to the Geelong Fresh Foods Facebook page.