Zuppa Soup Kitchen

Soup is not a side dish, it’s the main event as far as Zuppa founder Philip Carlei is concerned. He had a vision for centring the hearty, healthy option in Melbourne’s vibrant take-away offering, aimed at time-poor workers in the CBD who need a good feed on the run, as well as the office catering market.

STAARK co-founder Oscar Kus, an ambitious entrepreneur himself, was the perfect partner to usher Philip’s vision into bricks-and-mortar reality on Little Collins Street, one of Melbourne’s most exhilarating laneways.

“We worked on both the design and the delivery of this concept store, which required working in a tight space where we needed to fit a prep kitchen, counter, seating, storage and office space for the managers,” Oscar says. “We were able to work on the fly as Philip brought his vision to life, and also saved him a pretty packet by negotiating with the landlord on his behalf.”