AFTER developing an ability to cook quality pasta four years ago, a former South East resident has turned his passion into a business, which has now gone global.
Stay-at-home dad Steve Robinson first began making pasta five years ago to put food on the table for his children, however it soon developed into a much bigger project.
“I’m not from the food industry, but I bought a small commercial machine online and began making pasta for family and friends,” Mr Robinson said.
“All of a sudden a friend approached me and said I should be selling it and offered me the opportunity to start making it in his cafe.
“I said ‘no way I don’t have time for that’, I guess they were my famous last words.”
A former Kalangadoo resident, now residing in Colac, Victoria, Mr Robinson said before he knew it “Otway Pasta” was born.
“It was never the intention to turn it into a business, I was just creating it out of demand, but then all of a sudden I was trading the product in August 2013,” Mr Robinson said.
“One thing led to another and we are now trading in 60 to 70 retail stores and a number of independent fruit and vegetable stores.”
The pasta has also attracted interest from overseas with the product now being shipped to a store in Singapore.
“A business in Singapore called The Fishwives has taken on our product,” Mr Robinson said.
“It is relatively easy to ship there as we just take it to a freight company and it arrives in Singapore a few days later.”
Mr Robinson said his success was largely thanks to the independent fruit and vegetable industry.
“Places like She’s Apples in Mount Gambier really provide businesses like mine opportunities to flourish by stocking our products,” Mr Robinson said.
“It really wouldn’t be possible to have a business without those independent stores.”
While the business has grown larger than Mr Robinson ever expected, he said his role as a father is still the number one priority.
“Most people would agree with me in saying family is most important,” he said.
“The business works around that.”
While the future of the business is a mystery, Mr Robinson said he will continue to “go with the flow”.
“It is a different approach than most businesses would take, but it has worked so far,” Mr Robinson said.
“We could go and invest a heap of money in the business, but that would put more pressure on and we would rather take it as it comes.”
