Reseller Spotlight: Commercial Kitchen Company

 

As part of our Reseller Spotlight series, we spoke with Paul Terzis from the Commercial Kitchen Company to understand what they’re seeing on the ground in 2026. With nearly two decades of experience supplying commercial kitchens across Australia, CKC brings a practical, solutions-led perspective shaped by close relationships with hospitality, aged care, and education customers.

Working alongside Commercial Kitchen Company allows us to combine experience, trusted equipment, and local expertise to help customers invest with confidence — today and into the future.

 

Q: Can you tell us a bit about your business (location, years in operation, customer focus)?

CKC started in 2006 on the Gold Coast at Bundall. We now have our Springwood office, which underwent a major expansion and renovation in January 2026, along with two additional warehouses. We began with just three people and have grown to over 25 staff. While our main focus is Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, we supply customers across Australia.

Q: What types of customers do you primarily serve today?

Our main customer base is clubs, pubs, and hotels. More recently, we’ve seen strong growth in the aged care and education sectors.

Q: What changes are you seeing in customer demand right now?

Everything old is new again. Customers are revisiting electric and induction cooking as power availability, energy supply, and operating costs continue to present challenges.

Q: What’s the biggest challenge your customers are facing in 2026?

Access to finance is the biggest issue, particularly in the first 12 months of a business. Many customers understand the value of investing in quality equipment, but cashflow constraints mean they’re focusing more on return on investment rather than just upfront cost. Flexibility is also a major consideration.

Q: What types of equipment or solutions are customers asking for most at the moment?

There’s a clear shift toward sustainability. Customers are far more focused on operating costs and long-term efficiency, not just the initial purchase price. Value for money is front of mind.

Q: What factors matter most to your customers when making a purchasing decision?

Reliability, brand reputation, and service and support are critical. From our perspective, it’s also essential that the equipment does what it’s meant to do and is backed by strong warranty support, training, and readily available spare parts.

Q: What do you value most in a supplier partnership?

Honesty and integrity. These come from long-term relationships built on face-to-face interactions and mutual trust.

Q: What helps you confidently recommend a product to your customers?

It comes down to experience with the brand, confidence in the support, and strong working relationships. We believe in keeping things simple—you only really know how good a machine and a supplier are when something goes wrong.

Q: What’s one piece of advice you’d give other resellers navigating the current market?

Focus on solutions and give customers options. Build trust and talk face-to-face. Customers often come in knowing what they want, but experience means we can help them buy what they actually need.

Q: Looking ahead, what are you most excited about for the year ahead?

Embracing technology—especially AI—to improve the customer sales journey. It will allow our team to have better information at their fingertips and ultimately deliver better outcomes for customers.