The Australian culinary scene continues to struggle daily as the cost-of-living expenses rise.

Highly priced cafes and the sudden closure of food spots across the country have hit the food and beverage industry.

A long-time supplies company recently got hit with a surprising twist that could affect their clients soon.

The Essential Ingredient, an Aussie-run food and cooking supplies company, entered voluntary administration after about 38 years of spicing up kitchens.

Established in 1986, The shop carried high-quality specialty ingredients, cookware, kitchen gadgets and culinary books.

It also became a go-to source for both home cooks and professional chefs.

Some of their products were curated from Europe and Asia. Image Credit: Instagram/The Essential Ingredient

The Essential Ingredient established its reputation after being featured in prestigious publications like Gourmet Traveller, Good Food, Broadsheet, The Australian Women’s Weekly, and Country Style.

The Essential Ingredient also took centre stage on the popular TV show MasterChef.

However, despite its esteemed standing, the company faced the same harsh realities that impacted many businesses in the past years.

Five companies operating under The Essential Ingredient were listed on the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) website.

These companies were:

• The Vital Ingredient (Retail) Pty Ltd.
• Essential Wholesale NSW Pty Ltd.
• J.S. & S Weddell Pty. Ltd.
• Essential Distribution Australia Pty Ltd., and
• Essential Franchise Pty Ltd.

The appointed administrators from PwC Australia—namely Robert Scott Ditrich, Rebecca Louise Gill, and Craig David Crosbie—should start managing the shop’s activities as it navigates a challenging period.

They arranged a virtual meeting with the company’s creditors for 9 October, which could shed more light on the company’s future.

The Essential Ingredient began as a modest mail-order business run from a living room.

It blossomed into a culinary empire with three brick-and-mortar stores in Crows Nest, Prahran, and South Melbourne.

They also have an online store and a wholesale business for restaurant owners.

The Essential Ingredient has not made a public statement regarding the voluntary administration.

PwC has yet to comment on the situation.

This news is a reminder to support local and specialty businesses, which often offer unique products and services that enrich our lives and palates.

Key Takeaways

• The Essential Ingredient, an Australian food and cooking supplies company, entered voluntary administration.
• The company, famous for selling specialty ingredients and professional cookware, has been operating for 38 years and has been featured in various publications.
• Five companies under The Essential Ingredient umbrella were affected by the administration.
• Administrators from PwC Australia arranged a virtual meeting with creditors for 9 October.

What do you think of this development? Have you ever shopped at The Essential Ingredient before? Your insights and stories are valuable, and we invite you to share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

[Suzanne rose]

I love women's Weekly recipes and have watched Master chef but have never heard of this company.

Maybe companies need to get their product noticed more if they want to survive or they need to keep their prices down.

It's like Tupperware, years ago they stopped party plans. People didn't know they were selling in certain stores ( mostly myers) but still at exorbitant high prices. Who would pay $55 for a plastic bowl ?
Maybe if companies let people know more about their products and didn't charge so high then they wouldn't be closing their doors.

 

[sim140]

WHO ????

 

[Southmelbswans]

Never heard of them or read those magazines!!! Yet another case of expanding sales but not having the extra money for more overheads. Poor business case.

 

[mylittletibbies]

I love women's Weekly recipes and have watched Master chef but have never heard of this company.

Maybe companies need to get their product noticed more if they want to survive or they need to keep their prices down.

It's like Tupperware, years ago they stopped party plans. People didn't know they were selling in certain stores ( mostly myers) but still at exorbitant high prices. Who would pay $55 for a plastic bowl ?
Maybe if companies let people know more about their products and didn't charge so high then they wouldn't be closing their doors.

Tupperware was always too expensive. Does anyone do party plan these days??

 

[Kman]

Never heard of them.

 

[Judio]

I love women's Weekly recipes and have watched Master chef but have never heard of this company.

Maybe companies need to get their product noticed more if they want to survive or they need to keep their prices down.

It's like Tupperware, years ago they stopped party plans. People didn't know they were selling in certain stores ( mostly myers) but still at exorbitant high prices. Who would pay $55 for a plastic bowl ?
Maybe if companies let people know more about their products and didn't charge so high then they wouldn't be closing their doors.

I guess if you didn't live in the inner areas of Syd & Mel you may not have been aware of them, although if you were intersted in cooking and read various top end magazines, you would know of them. Only yesterday I was telling a '15 yo wanna-be chef' about this fabulous place. Where you could go and get the best and pieces of equipment and information. Nothing to do with bad marketing from them - more to do with the likes of reality TV shows, KMart etc, who have come into these specialist areas. A very very sad demise. Maybe PwC can do something different - ie work on salvaging some part of the company instead of just lining the PwC coffers.

 

[Veggiepatch]

I guess if you didn't live in the inner areas of Syd & Mel you may not have been aware of them, although if you were intersted in cooking and read various top end magazines, you would know of them. Only yesterday I was telling a '15 yo wanna-be chef' about this fabulous place. Where you could go and get the best and pieces of equipment and information. Nothing to do with bad marketing from them - more to do with the likes of reality TV shows, KMart etc, who have come into these specialist areas. A very very sad demise. Maybe PwC can do something different - ie work on salvaging some part of the company instead of just lining the PwC coffers.

More likely their demise was their own doing. Overpriced rubbish disguised by a mythical "trendy" name and pretentious aura.

Why pay $100 for something when practically the identical item can be purchased for one-fifth of the prices? Paying for the "name" is well and truly dead in the water.

 

[cjw1960]

I have read woman’s weekly but never seen this product on any shelv here in the Southern Suburbs of Adelaide

 

[I'm Mal]

Never heard of them.

 

[Tervueren]

Tupperware was always too expensive. Does anyone do party plan these days??

Nutrimetics is still going strong with the Party Plan, but I prefer to talk to my customers one on one. Parties are not compulsory and I have never done one. Despite that, I still can manage around $1000 per month in sales which gives me some pocket-money as well as all of my products at a decent discount. The company offers monthly specials which helps a lot.

 

[IAN3005]

Another one bites the dust... more to come....

 

[midgemills]

Nutrimetics is still going strong with the Party Plan, but I prefer to talk to my customers one on one. Parties are not compulsory and I have never done one. Despite that, I still can manage around $1000 per month in sales which gives me some pocket-money as well as all of my products at a decent discount. The company offers monthly specials which helps a lot.

I still have my Nutrimetics account for personal use but used to do parties as well. Products are awesome and can be bought on special on a regular basis. Some consultants still do parties.

 

[Luckyus]

I love women's Weekly recipes and have watched Master chef but have never heard of this company.

Maybe companies need to get their product noticed more if they want to survive or they need to keep their prices down.

It's like Tupperware, years ago they stopped party plans. People didn't know they were selling in certain stores ( mostly myers) but still at exorbitant high prices. Who would pay $55 for a plastic bowl ?
Maybe if companies let people know more about their products and didn't charge so high then they wouldn't be closing their doors.

Like you S/r being in the catering industry for many yers I must admit I have never of them.

 

[Fisherman2320]

I love women's Weekly recipes and have watched Master chef but have never heard of this company.

Maybe companies need to get their product noticed more if they want to survive or they need to keep their prices down.

It's like Tupperware, years ago they stopped party plans. People didn't know they were selling in certain stores ( mostly myers) but still at exorbitant high prices. Who would pay $55 for a plastic bowl ?
Maybe if companies let people know more about their products and didn't charge so high then they wouldn't be closing their doors.

What you have written is true. On a more personal note I would like to be able to purchase bulk.
Today I phoned the Supermarkets in town and I asked about purchasing canned and bottled goods by the carton.
Yes you are able too but the self price is multiple by the number of items in a box.
Years ago you could go to the supplier, order and pay. Travel into town and pick your order up.
That's my rant for the day.

 

[Suzanne rose]

What you have written is true. On a more personal note I would like to be able to purchase bulk.
Today I phoned the Supermarkets in town and I asked about purchasing canned and bottled goods by the carton.
Yes you are able too but the self price is multiple by the number of items in a box.
Years ago you could go to the supplier, order and pay. Travel into town and pick your order up.
That's my rant for the day.

You also think buying in bulk would be cheaper

 

[Suzanne rose]

Tupperware was always too expensive. Does anyone do party plan these days??

I use to sell Tupperware and do party's.
I stopped when they started knocking back replacements with poor excuses that it was the customers fault.

I was shocked in seeing how expensive they became. I said then that they were killing their business.

I loved holding party's of different kinds and to be honest I think party plans are long gone.

I don't think this generation would even look at party plan

 

[havingadoggyday]

I love women's Weekly recipes and have watched Master chef but have never heard of this company.

Maybe companies need to get their product noticed more if they want to survive or they need to keep their prices down.

It's like Tupperware, years ago they stopped party plans. People didn't know they were selling in certain stores ( mostly myers) but still at exorbitant high prices. Who would pay $55 for a plastic bowl ?
Maybe if companies let people know more about their products and didn't charge so high then they wouldn't be closing their doors.

Hi,I like a lot of us own and love my Tupperware, however you need to go through a thousand hoops and pay delivery to get replacement pieces that you could readily get for free in your local suburb Tupper centre or a local sales woman.I have now had to through most of mine out even though I was told they were collectors pieces as were from the Kate seventies and early eighties??Really...they only want the mint condition or never used......only recently found out that all Tupperware we bought back them was made with toxic chemicals that leached into our food not PBA or lead free etc etc.My son that is anal about all this ,and researches it all because of what he uses for his autistic child and family to store produce said to throw it all out,even the newer stuff that you are referring to Suzanne Rose ,wasn't much better,even though they claimed it was.Glass all the way if we can.Problem is as we get older it gets harder to carry heavy glass items and can break etc.Best not to bulk buy if possible I think as apparently ALL GLASS ISN'T GLASS I was told recently from a nan in the glass business for 49 years.OH DEAR!!!

 

[havingadoggyday]

I love women's Weekly recipes and have watched Master chef but have never heard of this company.

Maybe companies need to get their product noticed more if they want to survive or they need to keep their prices down.

It's like Tupperware, years ago they stopped party plans. People didn't know they were selling in certain stores ( mostly myers) but still at exorbitant high prices. Who would pay $55 for a plastic bowl ?
Maybe if companies let people know more about their products and didn't charge so high then they wouldn't be closing their doors.

Hi,I like a lot of us own and love my Tupperware, however you need to go through a thousand hoops and pay delivery to get replacement pieces that you could readily get for free in your local suburb Tupper centre or a local sales woman.I have now had to through most of mine out even though I was told they were collectors pieces as were from the Kate seventies and early eighties??Really...they only want the mint condition or never used......only recently found out that all Tupperware we bought back them was made with toxic chemicals that leached into our food not PBA or lead free etc etc.My son that is anal about all this ,and researches it all because of what he uses for his autistic child and family to store produce said to throw it allout,even the newer stuff that you are referring to Suzanne Rose ,wasn't much better,even though they claimed it was.Glass all the way if we can.Problem is as we get older it gets harder to carry heavy glass items and can break etc.Best not to bulk buy if possible I think as apparently ALL GLASS ISN'T GLASS I was told recently from a nan in the glass business for 49 years.OH DEAR!!!

 

[havingadoggyday]

PS ,I also have never heard of any of these companies and like you Suzanne,I have done a lot of cooking, and read a lot etc re kitchen and pantry items both from here and overseas.Funny that neither of us have.regards to you