What was branded as the first Greek vegan bakery in Australia was forced out of business due to $120,000 debt less than a year after a promising opening in Sydney.
Owned and run by Pavlos Katsivardas and his family, who migrated to Australia from Amaliada, Greece in 2016, he and his partner Fioroula took to the bakery’s Facebook page to reveal that they are $120,000 in debt and therefore operations are terminated.
The surprise announcement came only a month after the family expanded its business.
In addition to the original Revesby store, the Greek Vegan Bakery also opened in June in Newtown, the Sydney suburb that’s a veritable mecca for ethical eaters.
Speaking to SBS in June Katsivardas could’t hide his optimism: “We are the first Greek vegan bakery probably in the world, and we want our products to reach the world!”
Sydney customers were attracted to the vegan version of the bakery’s pastries. The Greek Vegan Bakery used cheese made from coconut oil produced in Greece, soy and almond milks, and vegetable butter and oil.
The cheese in the spanakopita was made from coconut oil, and the ‘mince’ in the moussaka from mushrooms.
In a Facebook announcement the Katsivardas family is still hopeful that the business will eventually reopen.
“We are still looking for the right business partner to come on board and together take the Greek Vegan Bakery to the next level,” Katsivardas says.