We had a chat with Jackson Garlick to learn more about his family's business, Garlo's Pies.
Tell us about your family business.
Established by father and sons Terry, Sean & Nathan “Garlo” Garlick in 2001, the business started as a small pie shop in Maroubra, Sydney Australia. It is a 100% Australian owned and operated Family Business which currently has 9 direct family members working in the business.
Garlo’s began when Sean, a retired professional footballer with the South Sydney Rabbitohs joined forces with father Terry, a retired mechanic and brother Nathan, a qualified pastry chef and lifetime pie lover. The caricature of the three founders and their original professions can be found on all Garlo’s packaging.
Since that time, Garlo’s Pies has expanded significantly in the retail, wholesale and export business and has recently moved into a brand new, purpose-built, state-of-the-art food production facility in Kingsgrove, Sydney.
What has been your greatest success?
One of our proudest achievements that continues to this day is being a meat exporter. Of the hundreds (even thousands) of pie shops, bakeries and pie manufacturers in Australia; there are only 5 that are approved to export and Garlo’s is one of them.
This allows us to share our family’s passion for meat pies with the world, and we are lucky to export to countries such as New Zealand, Japan, New Caledonia and hopefully the US in the near future.
What do you value about FBA?
I represent the next generation of Garlick’s at Garlo’s Pies, and it was important for me to ensure that our generation contributes to not only the growth, but stability of Garlo’s Pies. I’ve heard stories from other family businesses that when the next generation joins a business, there are more stakeholders in the picture which often brings more complexity; requiring greater proactivity and strategy to ensure the family dynamic does not disrupt the goals of the business.
That is why I joined a Forum Group. To learn and grow from others' experiences and ensure we can plan for the future and not be surprised by it.
What advice would you give to other family businesses?
When it comes to the family, I believe fairness and transparency need to be paramount.
When it comes to the business, leave your personal matters at home.
Support family business.
