OzHarvest Ventures takes ownership of catering business Gastronomy

Having founded Gastronomy as a two-man team in 1998 and expanded its operations to four cities and 160 staff within corporate partnerships, Gastronomy CEO Miccal Cummins decided to donate 100 per cent of profits to OzHarvest to fulfill one of his mother's last wishes.

"My mother, in the last few days of her life, said to me, 'tell Ronni (OzHarvest founder Ronni Kahn) she's doing a wonderful job, and you need to help her'," Cummins said.

"Delivering that news to Ronnie was really the culmination of something I'd been thinking for such a long time, and it was so liberating for me to say in a very simple way, no ifs, buts or modifications - 100 per cent of our product is going to OzHarvest."

To date this arrangement has allowed OzHarvest to deliver 2.4 million meals to people in need, and the spirit of that commitment has deepened now that OzHarvest Ventures formally owns Gastronomy.

Cummins is excited to see the successful 26-year old business continuing long into the future, under a purpose-driven owner with aligned values.

"I often think about what is enough for us as individuals and as a society, and what we throw away. Obviously, the wasteful societies of the global North are unsustainable, and I felt we could play a part in reducing that waste. I’ve always been inspired by my dear friend Ronni and how OzHarvest rescues food from going to landfill and creates a real difference in people’s lives," he says.

"In creating beautiful experiences for our customers, Gastronomy is committed to and balances people, planet and profit. This move aligns with both our personal and business values.

"We have always had a sense of purpose, living to create, as caring about our business customer’s hospitality enabled us to look after our community and our planet. As the next step in our long-term partnership, it made sense for OzHarvest Ventures to take over the business as formal owners."

OzHarvest's Ronni Kahn says Gastronomy has been part of the OzHarvest journey since the beginning 20 years ago. 

"This long-standing partnership and generosity of Miccal Cummins and the Gastronomy team has enabled this incredible social business acquisition, forging a new path for business for good," she says.

"We’re disrupting how society thinks about how ‘charities’ should operate. More businesses should be a force for good, and profit and purpose should not be mutually exclusive.

"Every business has a role to play and has the power to transform society and solve our collective challenges. By using Gastronomy, your people will be fed and nourished, knowing that you are enabling us to deliver more meals to those in need.”

Gastronomy’s day-to-day business operations remain unchanged and will continue with its staff and customers. Their head office is in Sydney with 160 team members across Australia based within corporate partnerships in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

Cummins also remains as CEO and the leadership team will continue in their roles with no changes to Gastronomy or OzHarvest’s daily operations as they continue delivering impact in food rescue, education, advocacy and sustainable innovation.

OzHarvest Ventures head Louise Tran says OzHarvest is experiencing demand higher than ever before and currently relies on corporate and philanthropic funding to run their operations.

"OzHarvest Ventures is on a mission to diversify funding streams to help create a long-term sustainable future. We are exploring innovative projects from developing upcycled products all the way through to new business opportunities like Gastronomy," says Tran.

"Our aim is to create new business models that can attract a new generation of impact investors, while improving social and environmental outcomes at the same time. We are so excited about this alternative business approach, and what it means for supporting the critical work of OzHarvest," adds OzHarvest Ventures chair and director Stuart Cook.

Tran clarifies that earlier efforts to raise capital for a food recycling facility were unsuccessful, prompting a pivot in the group's direction.

"However, OzHarvest Ventures is still committed to bringing to life ideas that tackle food waste reduction at scale and have a couple of projects in the pipeline that we’re investigating," she says.