Pitzy, Lucy, Saskia and Anne Folk
1. Hospitality entrepreneurs, an artist and a jewellery designer. Creativity and a flare for business runs through the Folk family, did it start with you Pitzy and Anne or are there other creatives/industrious folk in the wider family?
The creativity side definitely comes from Anne’s side of the family. Anne’s great uncle, Hugh Ramsay was a famous Australian artist. Anne also pursued a career in the creative space, studying interior design in London and working in Germany before working for herself in Melbourne. Her love for art definitely rubbed off on both of our daughters, who were artistic from a very early age and has followed through to their respective careers.
2. Pitzy and Anne, you have been in the Melbourne hospitality business for a long time. Could you share where you started out and take us through some of the businesses you’ve run and owned up until now?
I have always had a passion for people and food; so working in hospitality just seemed like a natural fit from a young age. Being originally from Austria, I studied hotel management in Europe with the hope of starting my own restaurant one day. Meeting Anne in Europe put a spanner in the works and before I knew it I was off to Australia chasing love and an adventure. This was back in the 70s!
Once in Melbourne I realised the food scene wasn’t as advanced as back home and there was an opportunity to build a business showcasing some of the delicious European creations I had grown up with. Anne and I opened up a Provedore in Armadale selling terrines, pates, and salamis- all the good stuff!
After a few years I moved on, running cafes in department store Georges and Country Road, then the Observatory restaurant in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens which I ran for 9 years.
Then, an opportunity came up in coffee with a friend and before I knew it I owned Map Coffee. My hospo background certainly helped as I knew how to approach people after years of dealing with lots of suppliers trying to pitch their products (the good and the bad). This business took a lot of blood, sweat and tears and after 10 years I successfully sold it to TATA Global beverages.
Alongside running Map Coffee, I also founded CAPI about 5 years ago. In the last two years, we have really gained significant coverage and have become a national player. We are now stocked in some of the best restaurants, hotels, green grocers and most recently, Coles and Woolworths.
3. How and where do you source the ingredients for your CAPI products and how do you keep the product natural and preservative free?
We source our ingredients from the best locations that they are naturally grown in. For example, for our Tonic we source the best Cinchona: the only natural quinine, that thrives exclusively in conditions close to the equator and therefore is sourced from the Congo. This ensures the best Tonic water can be produced and you can taste the true profile of your favourite gin.
Then there is another crowd favourite, our Ginger Beer, which we source from Buderim, Australia for its uniquely spicy ginger. And then we have our Mineral Water that is sourced just 50 minutes out of Melbourne in the Victorian Highlands as we have some of the best natural mineral water supplies right here on our doorstep.
As for keeping our products natural and preservative free, this is done simply by blending botanicals, natural extracts and essential oils with purified water to create a carbonated beverage of the highest quality. We have gone back to the old school way of making beverages, pasteurising and making our drinks in 900 lot batches. Making drinks is what we do – it’s our craft.
Pitzy and Lucy on shoot for CAPI’s latest campaign
4. The brand (CAPI) has just launched a bold and refreshing nation wide advertising campaign featuring Lucy’s jewellery and even her handwriting. What prompted the campaign and who was involved in the process and its creation?
It’s been a busy few months for CAPI, getting ready for the biggest Spring and Summer to date. With further distribution now into Woolworths and soon to launch our Mineral Water into Coles, we have a lot of thirsty customers, more than ever before! This seemed the like perfect time to launch a strong campaign that showcases what our brand is all about.
With the goal to create a memorable and bold Spring/Summer campaign, CAPI wanted to work with someone that would push the boundaries. It couldn’t be just another drinks ad, it had to showcase our thirst-quenching natural ingredients that we are crazy about. CAPI approached renowned New York advertising agency, KiDS, who are known for their work with brands such as Balenciaga, Balmain, Prada and Alexander Wang. KiDs saw this as a great opportunity to work with an Australian brand and create something iconic that hasn’t been done before.
Bringing two teams together from across the world, the campaign was shot back in July, over two days in Paris. The entire project was a collaboration between a few amazing creatives, with KiDS creative director, Pascal Dangin, working closely with the Folk family to interpret the concept of ‘Feel the Flavour’.
Staying true to the minimalistic CAPI aesthetic, the campaign is striking featuring nothing but a hand. But what’s a hand without some jewellery? Lucy Folk Jewellery we might add! The talented Lucy Folk (Pitzy and Anne’s daughter), took an active role in styling the campaign, showcasing her creative talents as always.
The gorgeous Folk women: Lucy, Saskia and Anne (L-R)
Lucy and Saskia Folk on holiday
5. Saskia you are an artist that ‘cuts up cars’ according to your Instagram profile. Could you tell us about what you do, where you’re based and about your current work?
My instagram tag line is “I cut up cars”. I cut up cars! A unique job opportunity brought me to the desert. I worked as a field officer for Papunya Tula Artists and spent time in Kintore (530km west of Alice Springs) and Kiwirrkurra (770km west, over the WA border). I passed numerous abandoned cars on my journey, observing the different stages of abandonment and was fascinated by the colours, textures, dents and fractures of the cars. These cars are left to rust and decay and so I thought why not preserve parts of the car before they were gone forever. By selecting and slicing the most weathered sections of car bonnet, roof or door, I have created striking abstract works reminiscent of the Australian landscape. These car wrecks are an integral part of the landscape and history of Australia.
My panel work was recently showcased this year at the Sydney Contemporary Art Fair with Tim Klingender, which was an absolute honour and huge success. I have also shown in Melbourne twice and in Alice Springs.
For now, my journey takes me far and wide in search of panel work. I am currently in the US for 3 months or so exploring and finding more panels with the hope of showing them in the States.
I am on the road quite a lot. I’m rather a gypsy….but I return often to Melbourne, Sydney, Bellingen and Alice Springs.
Lucy and Saskia Folk
6. Lucy, what invaluable learnings have your parents imparted to you about running your own business?
Dad is a mentor to me and we talk regularly about our businesses and help each other. It’s invaluable having someone with as much experience as him to guide me in growing my own business. I would be up shit creek without his advice and help.
Anne and Pitzy’s garden at the office
7. Anne, rumour has it you have quite the green thumb. Could you tell us about your passion for gardening, how you design your garden spaces and what you grow?
My passion for growing my own produce certainly came from my mother who had the most amazing veggie garden up at Mt. Macedon. Once meeting Pitzy and knowing his love for produce, there was no question we had to grow our own vegetable garden.
Once we started the Observatory café, we grew our dream veggie garden that was our pride and joy for 9 years. After we sold The Observatory it was quite upsetting to say goodbye to our beloved garden, so we decided to create another one at the Map Coffee Office. Being in an industrial area it was quite the challenge to create a garden but we have done it! Using a lot of recycled material from the warehouse and 4 semi trailers of soil we have built something pretty special. From mulberries, to almonds, 6 different types of citrus.. the list goes on!
8. Being in the hospitality business you are all constantly surrounded by good food. Which are your go-to cafes and restaurants in Melbourne?
We always love trying new places around Melbourne but do have some favourites including Supernormal, Kettle Black, Town Mouse, France Soir, Bellotta and Di Stasio.
A snap from a Folk family holiday
9. Where have been some of your favourite family holiday destinations?
Post shooting the CAPI campaign in Paris, our most recent trip to Italy, was probably one of the best family holidays to date.
We started in Tuscany at Porto Ercole, then Ponza, Positano, and Ischia. It was all a dream really! We managed to survive 10 days on a boat without one of us pushing the other overboard so that’s a good result!
The Kimberly trip we did 5 years ago was pretty extraordinary. A week exploring the Kimberly Archipelago…fishing, bush walks, rock art, and all sorts of activities involving dodging crocodiles and swimming in waterholes. It was incredible to see our country in its purest form and revel in the beauty of it all!
10. What is next for the Folk’s both as a family and via your individual work pursuits?
I think as a family we will be spending less time together in Melbourne and more time together internationally! Christmas is fast approaching so that will be nice as we can all get together and gorge on some delicious Christmas ham and drink fine wine!!
Pitzy: CAPI is just about to launch some new intriguing and innovative mixers that push the boundaries of the typical mixer. These mixers will be branded under the CAPI CF Selection (CF standing for Craft Flavours) and will contain three different flavours: Flamin’ Ginger Beer, Dry Tonic and The Sicilian.
Lucy: For my business I am looking to open a store overseas and am currently scouting some exciting locations.
Saskia: I am currently in the US for 3 months or so exploring and finding more panels with the hope of showing them in the States.
Websites: www.capi.com.au, www.lucyfolk.com, www.saskiafolk.com
Twitter: @capisparkling, @folklucy
Facebook: Capi Sparkling, Lucy Folk Jewellery
Instagram: @capisparkling, @lucy_folk, @saskiafolk
Consciousness: (Pitzy) I have recently invested in a new venture called the Yume app. It’s an app that is a mobile marketplace for surplus or unsold food that connects delicious food with a hungry army of Yumembers via an easy to use free app. All food offers are listed at 50% off the regular price and while Yumembers enjoy a great meal or snack they can also feel proud that they are stopping perfectly good food from going to waste. Since officially launching in June this year, Yume now has over 250 restaurants and cafes signed up including industry heavyweights Guy Grossi of Grossi Florentino (My Kitchen Rules), Matt Wilkinson (Pope Joan/Hams&Bacon/SpudBar) and Jesse Gerner (Green Park/Anada/BOMBA Tapas Bar and Rooftop).
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