At the recent FoodService Association Australia National Awards of Excellence presentation dinner, WA foodservice distributor New West Foods took out the coveted Distributor of the Year Award. Foodservice Rep spoke to managing director Damon Venoutsos about this achievement and the story behind the business’ success.

Over the past few years, the impact of Covid lockdowns, followed by natural disasters such as the recent floods in northern NSW have underscored the importance of a robust supply chain to the foodservice sector. Independent distributors have long been a key component of the industry’s lifeblood, and this year Countrywide – Australia’s largest group of independently owned distributors – is celebrating its 30th anniversary. To mark the occasion, we interviewed Countrywide CEO Jeff Dhu and Sebastian Galipo of Galipo Foods to get their thoughts about the importance or putting family-owned businesses front and centre of foodservice distribution.