Cook and Co owners Kate Wellington and Claire Smith are putting their business up for sale after nearly 15 years. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Iconic Canberra kitchenware and gourmet shop Cook & Co is on the market for the first time in nearly 15 years.
The store was established in 2003 as The Essential Ingredient – part of a franchise of stores – and in 2012 Claire Smith and Kate Wellington bought the business. The pair decided to go independent and rebranded it as Cook & Co in 2024. After nearly a decade and a half, they’ve decided to hang up their aprons and hand the keys to a new operator.
When Claire took on the business, her youngest child was starting school. Now that same daughter is an employee and Claire has welcomed her first grandchild.
She said life looked different now and it was time to take on a new project.
“We’ve really enjoyed it, but it’s the right time for us to sell,” Claire told Region.
“It needs somebody with new energy to take it on, and it’s time for us to find new challenges.”
The cheese room at Cook & Co offers something for all tastes. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The move to independence in 2024, and the associating rebranding, offers new owners more opportunities to develop the business. There’s scope for the space to be used for events, a new online store to be further developed, and plenty of possibilities for someone with creativity and vision.
Claire and Kate are in no hurry to sell because they want to ensure the business goes to the right buyer. They’re looking for someone passionate about food and with great customer service skills.
“We want it to go to someone who understands the ethos behind the business, and who has a love of food and cooking,” Claire said.
“Sometimes customers come in who are very informed and want specific advice about, say, cake decorating. And sometimes it’s someone putting on a dinner party who wants ideas for an entree: you need to be able to help people who really love cooking, and people who maybe don’t love to cook from scratch, but love good food.”
Cook & Co sells a range of kitchenware, cookbooks, gourmet ingredients and homewares. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Claire and Kate have noticed plenty of changing trends over the years they’ve run the shop. When they first started, Mexican food was big. Now it’s all about Korean and Japanese cuisine. They’ve seen a huge increase in sophisticated non-alcoholic drinks and expanded their range to include tabletop, candles and home fragrances.
But the popularity of the cheese room remains evergreen!
The business has remained profitable over the years, even through the GFC, COVID-19 and cost-of-living crises. Some of the most memorable years came during the pandemic when the shop was allowed to continue trading.
Claire said regular customers valued being able to come in and have a chat. Plus the staff had fun with ‘double denim Fridays’ and other themed outfits to keep spirits up.
Asked what she would miss most about the shop, Claire didn’t hesitate.
“The people: the amazing staff we work with and the long-term relationships we have with many of our suppliers and reps.”
Customers won’t experience any changes while the team looks for the right buyer.
Interested parties should email shop@cookco.au
Cook & Co is located at 25 Jardine Street, Kingston. Open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday to Friday, 10 am to 4 pm Saturday and 11 am to 3 pm Sunday. Visit its website or follow Cook & Co on Facebook or Instagram.
