By Tyler Wright
Cockatoo IGA beat stores across the state at an award ceremony on Friday 24 March, winning Medium Delicatessen Department of the Year Award and Customer Service and Experience Award at the IGA Victorian Awards of Excellence at Crown Casino.
Cockatoo IGA owner Nathan Pasco said it was “humbling” and “exciting” to win the awards after being nominated for eight different awards for two consecutive years.
“My message to my team… is that it’s actually a privilege to be nominated for all of those categories two years in a row,” Mr Pasco said.
“To win the two that we won this year was an extra bonus.”
The store was commended for its range of cut cheeses, antipasto and made-to-order deli platters, as well as carrying orders to customers cars, offering free home delivery and providing charging stations during power outages.
“When power is out, we’ve got our generator that runs the whole store…[people] can actually come somewhere and have a coffee from our cafe and talk to each other, or they can come and find a hot chicken to buy when their oven is not working at home,” Mr Pasco said.
“We view external things like [awards] as a real positive, but we measure ourselves more on what we get from our own customers, which is overwhelmingly positive feedback.”
Victorian IGA State Board Chairman Jeff Harper said said the awards acknowledge the “hard work, excellence and commitment to their local communities that Victorian IGA stores have demonstrated throughout the year”.
“The amazing deli offer and the commitment to customer service that the entire team at IGA Cockatoo have made them deserving winners of these two awards,” Mr Harper said.
“Nothing is too much for the team, who will do whatever they can to provide amazing service for their local shoppers. Congratulations to the entire team, this award is truly well-deserved.”
