Frost Group

What Frost Group does

Frost Group (legally Frost Catering Equipment Pty Ltd, ACN 138 164 646) is an Australian privately-held manufacturer and integrator of commercial kitchen and bar equipment, operating from its headquarters at 115 Stenhouse Drive, Cameron Park, Newcastle NSW with a second manufacturing facility in Royal Park, South Australia. The company's origins trace to 1885, making it one of the longest-operating commercial catering firms in Australia; today it serves six primary verticals — Hotels/Pubs/Clubs/Casinos, Healthcare, Restaurants and Cafes, Education, Defence, and Commercial construction — with marquee customers including Star Sydney, Crown Melbourne, SkyCity Adelaide, Bupa, Multiplex, Lend Lease, and multiple Australian Defence bases. Frost Group is structured as a multi-brand holding company encompassing Frost Contract (design and construct service), Frost Commercial Kitchens and Bars, Frost Catering Equipment (third-party equipment distribution), Waterman Refrigeration (acquired brand, 1930s heritage), and Vianen Kitchen Ventilation Systems (Holland-engineered exhaust systems with patented Fecon filter technology).

The core technology stack centers on integrated design-manufacture-install capabilities: in-house AutoCAD and Revit 3D modelling enabling customer walkthroughs before project commencement, a 20,000 sq ft manufacturing facility (established 1997) with modern laser cutters and CNC-controlled metal folders for custom stainless steel fabrication, plus proprietary brands Waterman Refrigeration for bespoke refrigerated/heating displays and Vianen for high-efficiency kitchen ventilation (up to 35% reduction in exhaust air versus competitors). Distribution is direct-enterprise with dedicated sector sales teams (including a dedicated Restaurant and Cafe Sales Team), complemented by long-standing channel relationships with Australia's leading commercial builders (Multiplex, Lend Lease, CPB Contractors, John Holland, Hansen Yuncken, Mirvac) and accredited preferred-supplier status with the Australian Government and Defence.

Revenue mechanics are project-based and quote-driven across four streams: commercial kitchen equipment sales (third-party brands such as Rational, Convotherm, Blue Seal, Williams, Skope, Hoshizaki), design and construct professional services, custom stainless steel fabrication, and custom refrigeration manufacturing. Payment terms are tiered — 20% deposit for goods supply, 50% upfront for custom-built production, and 60% before delivery for services. Customer mix is anchored on enterprise-scale fitouts with values typically reflecting multi-hundred-thousand to multi-million dollar project scope; revenue concentration by customer is moderated by the breadth of vertical exposure though lumpy due to project cycles. Recent strategic activity has centered on the Dreamtime Equipment Supply joint venture for Indigenous Procurement compliance, AGV-integrated healthcare food service deployments, and continued Defence and major hospitality contract wins including SkyCity Adelaide.

Name

Frost Group

Legal name

Frost Catering Equipment Pty Ltd

Website

https://frostcateringequipment.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1885

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Frost Group is an Australian commercial kitchen equipment manufacturer and integrator (founded 1885) that designs, fabricates, and installs custom kitchens and bars across hospitality, healthcare, defence, education, and construction sectors, serving enterprise customers including Star Sydney, Crown Melbourne, Bupa, and major Australian builders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Kitchen Equipment

NAICS

Wood Kitchen Cabinet and Countertop Manufacturing (33711), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)

akta.pro primary industry

Kitchen Permitting, Design & Project Management (HSAPAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Custom Cabinet Design & Build (HSAPAIAA), Kitchen & Bath Installation & Project Services (Retail + Install) (CRAIAFAH)

Keywords

• Commercial kitchen equipment
• Kitchen ventilation systems
• Custom stainless steel fabrication
• Commercial refrigeration manufacturing
• Kitchen design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Macquarie Shire

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Commercial Kitchen Equipment Sales: Sale of commercial catering products including food preparation, gas and electric cooking equipment, dish and glass washers, bar equipment, refrigeration and ventilation systems
2. Design and Construct Services: Complete design and construct service for commercial kitchens and bars including custom stainless steel fabrication, installation and project management
3. Custom Stainless Steel Fabrication: Custom manufacturing of stainless steel products including benchwork, sinks, bars, shelving, display cases and storage areas to exact customer requirements and budget
4. Custom Refrigeration Manufacturing: Manufacturing of custom refrigerated and heating displays, holding cabinets, bar fridges, glass chillers, cool rooms and other refrigerated storage

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Frost Group designs, manufactures, and installs commercial kitchens and bars for enterprise customers across Australia. The company offers integrated design-and-construct services, custom stainless steel fabrication, Waterman custom refrigeration units, and Vianen kitchen ventilation systems, serving hospitality, healthcare, defence, construction, and education sectors with end-to-end kitchen and bar build solutions.

Product overview

Frost Group operates as an integrated commercial kitchen and bar solutions provider combining design, manufacture, and installation services. The core offering includes the Frost Contract design-and-construct service and in-house Stainless Steel Fabrication capabilities for custom benchwork, sinks, bars, and storage. The company offers two key sub-brands: Waterman Custom Refrigeration (established 1930s) for bespoke refrigerated displays and heating cabinets, and Vianen Kitchen Ventilation (35+ years European heritage) for exhaust systems with patented filter technology. A comprehensive third-party equipment portfolio supplies major brands including Rational, Convotherm, Blue Seal, Waldorf, Williams, and Skope for cooking, refrigeration, and dishwashing needs. All offerings are backed by a national service technician network and warranty support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Frost Contract: Design and construct service or fixed price contract division for food and beverage contractors, operating from a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility with modern laser cutters and CNC controlled metal folders.
• Frost Commercial Kitchens and Bars
• Vianen Kitchen Ventilation Systems
• Waterman Refrigeration

Products and services

• Frost Contract Frost Group's contract offering supplying commercial kitchen equipment to enterprise clients across hospitality, healthcare, defence, construction, and education sectors.
• Design and Construct Integrated end-to-end design-and-construct service covering commercial kitchen and bar design, manufacture, and installation for enterprise projects.
• Stainless Steel Fabrication Custom stainless steel fabrication service for commercial kitchens and bars, manufactured at Frost Group's Australian facilities.
• Waterman Custom Refrigeration Frost Group sub-brand Waterman supplies custom commercial refrigeration units manufactured to specification for enterprise kitchen installations.
• Vianen Kitchen Ventilation Vianen sub-brand kitchen ventilation systems supplied by Frost Group for commercial kitchen installations across hospitality, healthcare, and institutional sectors.
• Equipment Supply Brands Portfolio Multi-brand portfolio of commercial kitchen equipment supplied by Frost Group, complementing its proprietary Waterman refrigeration and Vianen ventilation offerings.
• Service and Warranty Post-installation service and warranty program providing ongoing maintenance and support for commercial kitchen and bar installations delivered by Frost Group.

Quantifiable outcome

• Vianen ventilation reduces exhaust air requirement by up to 35% less than traditional or competitor hoods
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers27 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Dreamtime Equipment SupplycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajority Indigenous owned supply company partnership providing catalyst for customers to purchase goods and services in compliance with Federal Governments Indigenous Procurement Legislation. Partnership backed by Frost Group strength providing unique opportunities with majority of profits filtered back to Indigenous community.
• Vianen Kitchen Ventilation SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationVianen has been providing exhaust solutions to customers in Europe, The Middle East and Asia for more than 35 years. Designed and engineered in Holland, Vianen is now manufactured and distributed in Australia by The Frost Group.
• Hansen Yuncken BuilderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrost recently appointed to carry out entire fitout works for Sky City Adelaide redevelopment in conjunction with Hansen Yuncken Builders.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Welbilt: US-listed (formerly NYSE: WBT) global manufacturer of commercial kitchen equipment (Convotherm, Merrychef, Manitowoc), now part of Middleby. Relevant as a broad incumbent competitor whose products Frost actively distributes and integrates into Australian projects.
• Electrolux Professional: Sweden-listed global manufacturer of professional kitchen, laundry and beverage equipment. Comparable as a broad incumbent in commercial kitchen design, manufacture and after-sales service across the same hospitality/healthcare end markets.
• Ali Group: Privately held Italian conglomerate and one of the world's largest commercial food-service equipment groups (owner of Hoshizaki, Scotsman, among others). Comparable as a multi-brand global incumbent whose portfolio competes directly with Frost's distributed brand range.
• Middleby Corporation: US-listed global leader in commercial food-service equipment (NASDAQ: MIDD), with major brands across cooking, refrigeration and warewashing. Relevant as Frost's largest global incumbent peer; multiple Middleby brands (Rational, Convotherm, Merrychef) are actively distributed by Frost.

Direct peers

• Stoddart: Australian commercial kitchen equipment manufacturer and stainless steel fabricator with national distribution. Directly comparable as a domestic design/manufacture/integrator of commercial kitchen, bar and food-service equipment serving hospitality, healthcare and foodservice customers.
• Comcater: Major Australian commercial kitchen equipment distributor and service provider (long-standing Middleby brand partner). Comparable as a domestic design-to-installation integrator competing for the same hospitality, healthcare and institutional fitout projects.
• Halco Foodservice Equipment: Australian commercial kitchen equipment supplier and project services business. Comparable as a domestic competitor providing design, supply and installation of commercial kitchens across hospitality and institutional segments.

Regional players

• Moffat: New Zealand-headquartered manufacturer of commercial cooking, baking and food-service equipment with ANZ distribution. Comparable in product category (cooking/holding equipment) and trans-Tasman market overlap, though not directly competing inside Australia.

Others

• Hoshizaki: Japan-listed global manufacturer of commercial ice machines, refrigeration and dispensers. Comparable as a key third-party refrigeration and ice equipment brand that Frost distributes; relevant ecosystem peer given Frost's own Waterman refrigeration business competes in adjacent categories.
• Rational AG: German-listed global leader in combi-oven technology for professional kitchens. Comparable as a key third-party equipment brand that Frost distributes and integrates into its design-and-construct projects; relevant ecosystem peer rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/frostgroupcateringequipment
• Instagraminstagram.com/frost_group
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/frost-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Frost Group