General News
12 June, 2024
New owners
A BRIGHT future is planned for GORGE Chocolates after management recently changed hands to a local family with existing ties to the business.
Simpson’s Joycy and John Salas, with the delighted support of their children Malka (12) and Mason (5), took ownership of the company on Friday, May 31.
The change does not require the addition of a new face, however, as Mrs Salas has already been working with GORGE Chocolates for around three years now.
The family originally arrived in Simpson in 2013, where Mr Salas pursued an opportunity dairy farming.
Over the years Mrs Salas has worked a number of other jobs in the hospitality industry, in addition to raising the couple’s two children.
She loved to keep busy, which ultimately led her to applying for a front of house job with GORGE Chocolates.
“I really loved making chocolates – I mean, who doesn’t love chocolate?” Mrs Salas said.
“There were other jobs which paid more, but this is what I love to do, I love serving people.”
“I don’t know everything but I understand the core of the company and its production.
“I love my job, so why not take it over?”
Previous owners Ian and Angela Preuss had approached Mrs Salas in 2023 about the possibility of taking over.
They had wanted to prioritise the future of the establishment rather than seeking the largest possible return, which led to the Salas family being given the first opportunity to take the reins.
Mrs Salas said her family had been in the process of considering a move to Colac where they could build a new house, but “stopped everything” for an opportunity they couldn’t refuse to stay close to home.
“I didn’t think many times or ask my husband, I just said yes,” Mrs Salas said.
“When I got home my husband said he would support any decision if it was what I wanted.
“We call it a blessing because it’s the perfect timing for us - our children didn’t want to leave Simpson because they had their friends at school, and we have made so many friends here.”
Mrs Salas said the Preuss family were staying on until the end of 2023 to assist with the transition, and had been “incredible” in offering support and guidance every step of the way.
“I asked why they offered me first and (Angela) said it was because I had been there through expansions to the business and she trusted me through the ideas we shared,” she said.
“I didn’t just work for them, they trusted me to share input.
“She said she knew we could make this bigger than what we started with.”
Mrs Salas said the family was delighted to be in a position to set up their long-term roots in the south west, in a community which has embraced them and supported them.
“Most of the community in Simpson knows us, and there are a lot of Filipinos coming to the south west after COVID, so we have been able to connect with a lot of them,” she said.
“We showed them it’s not impossible if you work hard and put up your goals.
“A lot of the areas in the south west are multicultural with a lot of people from Columbia, Thailand and Vietnam.
“People coming from Asia tend to be very shy and we can encourage them because nobody here is going to judge you, everyone here is equal.”
Mrs Salas envisions an expansion of GORGE Chocolates to include a café with cakes and sandwiches, and over the coming years to include an on-site kitchen to allow for made to order meals on site.
“I love the idea of having chocolates, a café and serving food in the shop,” she said.
“My dream has been to have a little coffee shop with homey, cosy vibes where people can sit down and the kids can play around.
“There’s a lot of tourists who stop by on the way from Melbourne, and this is the perfect spot between the Twelve Apostles to offer hot drinks so people can relax.”
