An inside track on service

Founded in 1991 by Con Kostarakis, the son of Greek migrants who arrived in Australia in 1945, the Fastrac business began with one van and one customer in Melbourne’s southeast. In a crowded market, Con, who had spent years in food service, saw an opportunity to do it better in a single defined catchment area, and, at the age of 40, decided to back himself.

From humble beginnings in Seaford – operating out of a small factory with shipping containers serving as freezer and fridge – Fastrac grew steadily, radiating down the Mornington Peninsula.

“It was a slow burn,” says Con’s son James, now a Director in the company.  “You start from scratch – your first invoice, your first supplier, your first delivery. Everything has to be built.”

From one van to four trucks. From Seaford to Mornington. Today, Fastrac operates across two Victorian warehouses spanning close to 8,000 square metres – but the foundations remain unchanged.

Growing Up in the Business

For James and his brother, Nick, the warehouse was part of childhood. School holidays were spent in the office or on the factory floor while phones rang and orders were packed.

James officially joined the business in 2002, systematically working through every part of the business, although he comments that the company ethos required pitching in on an as-needs basis. “If you were needed on the truck, you jumped on the truck,” he says.

Working across every department gave James a practical understanding of the business: the products, the suppliers and, most importantly, the customers. And that hands-on grounding continues to shape the way Fastrac operates today.

Customer First, Always

At Fastrac, customer service isn’t confined to one team – it’s embedded across the entire business.

Staff are empowered to solve problems on the spot. There are no long hold messages and no passing customers from one department to another. The person who answers the phone owns the solution.

“Mistakes happen anywhere and everywhere,” James says. “But we problem solve for our clients.”

Sometimes that means going well beyond expectation. James recalls taking a panicked call from a Phillip Island customer after shutting one Saturday afternoon. With a ferry about to depart from Crib Point, a mad scramble enabled James to locate and pack stock, and hand deliver it to the ferry terminal for collection by a grateful customer.

“That’s what independents can do,” he says. “We can make decisions quickly and implement them straight away.”

It’s a responsiveness that comes from being close to customers and close to the business itself.

Independence, Backed by Community

As a founding member of Countrywide Food Service Distributors, Fastrac combines local independence with the strength of a national network.

Access to national programs and supply arrangements provides scale, but James believes the real value lies in connection.

“The networking and the ability to problem solve together – you can’t put a dollar value on that,” he says. “We’re all independents, but we’re in this together. Corporates see service as a cost. But independents believe the service in food service matters.”

Food is at the Heart of It

More than three decades on, the philosophy that shaped those early days still guides the business.

For James, food remains the common thread.

“We love food because our customers, and their customers love food,” he says. “It’s such a celebration.”

It’s a simple approach – but one that has carried Fastrac from one van and one customer to a thriving independent business still proudly serving its community.

“If you don’t have the passion for food, you don’t have the care for quality – but when you bring that passion together with the best service, that’s a pretty good recipe.”