Western Australia producers some of world’s finest fish, meat and other produce delivered fresh from the Kimberley down through the Southwest. Yet, there are some areas in which local producers simply can’t compete with our European cousins. Mercifully, there are a handful of specialist importers and food retailers catering to those in need of the finest cheeses from France, pastas and oils from Italy and even sweet treats from around Eastern Europe. Here are some of our favourites.
The Re Store Northbridge. Credit: The Re Store
The Re Store
Northbridge & Leederville
The Re Store is the one of the oldest and definitely the best-known European food importer in Perth, with stores in Northbridge and Leederville offering an extraordinary range of foods imported from Italy and other sources in Europe.
Giuseppe Re arrived in Australia from Italy during the Goldrush era and in the 1930s and with his family established the Re Store as a local deli and grocery. By the 1960s, the Re Store has expanded to include three venues, including wholesaler European foods, providing mostly local Italians and southern Europeans with quality product from the continent.
Today, the business is run by third-generation family members with stores in Leederville and Northbridge. European Foods Wholesale has now been sold. Both stores include a wide range of products including fresh cheeses, meats, pantry staples (pasta, oils, salts, etc) and the famous Braziliano coffee. Notably, the Leederville store also has huge alcohol selection with imported and local beers, wines and spirits. If you find yourself at either location around lunchtime, expect to queue up for some of the tastiest rolls and fresh pasta.
Kakulas Sister Fremantle Store. Credit: Sabine Alters; Kakulas Sister
Kakulas Bros + Kakulas Sister
Northbridge, Fremantle & Nollamara
Also located in Northbridge, another long serving European food importer, this time from Greece is the Kakulas Family who now run two businesses, Kakulas Brothers in Northbridge and Kakulas Sister. Kakulas Brothers started in 1929 and became increasingly successful as larger numbers of Italians and Greeks started migrating to Perth after the war. From simple beginnings in local groceries, the Kakulas Brothers started importing specialty goods to meet the increased demand for foods not available in the local market.
Keeping with the family tradition, Kakulas Sister was started in 1994 by Eleni Kakulas who had grown up learning the business from relatives. First located in Fremantle and then adding another store in Nollamara, Kakulas Sister provides a similar range of local and imported foods.
Both stores have an impressive selection of grains, spices, nuts, beans and coffee all in a weigh and pay system, perfect for home cooks looking for specific ingredients such as chickpeas, coconut flour, various colours of quinoa and almost every type of dried fruit. They also have a number of gourmet name brand European product such as Ortiz tinned fish and Carambar sweets.
Pisconeri Wholesalers
Mount Hawthorn
Since 1952, Pisconeri have been importers and suppliers of Italian foods to the Perth market. Located in Mt Hawthorn, the family-owned store is dedicated to stocking all the best European products and cookware for customers to purchase at retail or wholesale level.
Started by brothers Nicola and Guiseppe, like many others, Pisconeri started as a small grocery and deli and then started importing ingredients direct from Italy including cheeses and vinegars. They also imported coffee, through which they unexpectedly developed a following amongst war veterans seeking the flavours of international coffee from their services abroad.
Pisconeri continues to sell pantry staples along with a number of other European products including cold charcuterie, pasta in almost every shape and a small alcohol selection of craft beers and wines. They are also the sole importer of some products including San Pellegrino sparkling water and Le 5 Stagioni Flour.
Every few months the store hosts a market event which transforms the carpark into a bustling hub with a variety of European food stalls and live music.
Simon Johnson
Subiaco
Simon Johnson is renowned by foodies across Australia for stocking some of the best imported European foods in the country. The Perth store in Subiaco is no exception.
New Zealand born chef, Simon started importing specialty international products for chefs to use in their Sydney restaurants in 1992. With growing demand, he opened a retail store providing the highly sought after products to the general public and since then has expanded to five stores across Australia.
The Subiaco store is packed with a wide selection of products mostly from Western Europe including French treats such as Valrhona chocolate, classic Brets potato chips, Italian oils and vinegars, English biscuits, Spanish paprikas and tinned fish. They even have a selection of fine homewares.
But it is the walk-in Fromagerie (cheese room) that is the drawcard, with a selection of local and international cheeses attracting chefs and home-cooks from all over Perth. The cheeses are freshly cut to size with a chance to sample before buying. If you’re unsure where to begin, the staff can happily recommend cheeses and pairings for every occasion. Definitely worth a visit!
European Foods Cheese Cathedral in Osborne Park. Credit: European Foods
European Foods Marketplace
Osborne Park & O’Connor
A big name in the European importing business in Perth, European Foods was owned and operated by the founders of the Re Store. It sold in 2018 and is now part of the Y-Group (owned by the Yukich Family), which includes other popular local food specialists including Fiori Coffee and Blue Cow Cheese.
The change in hands led to the opening of two retail stores in Osborne Park and O’Connor, giving customers a chance to shop and sample the full range of products. In the Osborne Park store you will also find Australia’s largest walk-in cheese room, dubbed the ‘Cheese Cathedral’, with hundreds of cheeses from over 13 countries.
With a big focus on wholesale, a number of products are sold in bulk and near-wholesale prices, giving you a chance to stock up or cater for your next event, such as 3kg boxes of Baci chocolates and 12kg bags of 00 flour. Retail shoppers will need a membership to purchase items, which can easily be done in-store when checking out.
Kings Euro Foods
Balcatta
Tucked away in Balcatta, Kings Euro Foods is a convenience style store stocking a variety of Eastern European products often hard to find in regular supermarkets. Two doors down, you will find the bakery under the same name which serves some of the best traditional savoury and sweet European pastries.
Kings Euro Foods began over 25 years ago as a local grocer. Their breakthrough came when they started importing and roasting coffee beans, specifically catering to the demand for traditional Turkish-style coffee. Popular amongst local European migrants, King’s started importing Eastern European goods to meet local demand.
Working with local and national importers, Kings stocks a large number of deli and dry products ranging from pickled vegetables and pâté to niche items such as Ajvar (Serbian roasted red pepper sauce) and cult classic Eurocrem products. In addition to their huge product range, Kings also serves freshly made rolls and coffees so be sure to check them out for breakfast and lunch.
Explore more Providores around Perth.