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Authentic Italian cooking on Bartercard M A N D U R A H I N W E ST E R N AU ST R A L I A I S H O M E TO PA PA R A Z Z I C A F É , A N I TA L I A N R E STAU R A N T OW N E D BY T H E M E S S I N E O FA M I LY, A N D C H E F DA M I E N M E S S I N E O H A S S O M E T I P S TO G E T T H E M O ST O U T O F T R A D I N G .
Paparazzi Café has been serving authentic Italian meals in Mandurah since 2002, when the Messineo family decided to pool their resources and share their love of food. Damien Messineo, the head chef, said his parents came to Australia from Calabria in the 50s, and their strong Italian heritage and love of cooking led them to open Paparazzi. “We serve classic, home-style Italian food and our menu hasn’t changed much since we opened 15 years ago,” said Damien. “Our customers have been ordering the same dishes for years and that’s what they love. We’re in a great position to take advantage of the tourism that flows from Perth to the Margaret River. Seventy to eighty per cent of our customers are locals, then on school holidays all the tourists come in.” When it comes to produce like wine and ingredients, Damien said it’s all local. “We don’t need to look to the eastern states - Margaret River produces the top fifty to sixty per cent of Australia’s best wine.” USING BARTERCARD TO CONSERVE HALF A MILLION DOLLARS Damien said it took him a while to grasp the system, but then he started sourcing business essentials on Bartercard to offset cash costs. Since joining Bartercard in 2002, he’s conserved over half a million dollars in cash expenses by using trade dollars to purchase
products and services. To earn trade dollars, he welcomes Bartercard members to his restaurant. “Today we source wine, meat, seafood, car servicing, accommodation and dining from Bartercard members using trade dollars instead of cash,” he said. “I also source wine on Bartercard and cash convert – buying bottles on trade and selling them for cash.” Damien’s advice for new Bartercard members is to get in touch with your local trade coordinator, tell them what you are interested in and start using the system to attract new customers and conserve costs. “Bartercard can take time to wrap your head around, but it’s very beneficial for restaurants. If a restaurant owner has surplus trade dollars, they’re not using it properly.” Damien said he wants to take Bartercard a step further soon and use his trade dollars to invest in property. Bartercard’s property site currently contains approximately $150 million worth of real estate listings that are available to purchase with a part-trade dollar component. “That’s where I will work more closely with my trade coordinator – property is a bigger investment that needs more fine tuning. Your trade co-ordinator can really help. But things like purchasing wine, I do that myself.”
