The Farm Cafe

What The Farm Cafe does

The Farm Cafe is a private Australian hospitality business that has operated since 2005 at 18 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford, Melbourne, embedded within the heritage-listed Collingwood Children's Farm on the Yarra River. The company runs three interconnected revenue streams: a dine-in cafe open seven days a week serving modern cafe food and coffee with both seated service and kiosk ordering for farm picnickers; a wedding and event venue business with catering, styling, furniture, and event management for ceremonies at the Oak Tree and receptions in the Barn, supported by annually refreshed cocktail, seated, vegetarian/vegan, and beverage menus; and an off-premise catering and retail shop offering pre-orderable platters (sausage rolls, scones, sandwiches, cupcakes, fruit platters, mini muffins) and gift vouchers in denominations from $20 to $150. Revenue mechanics are primarily per-transaction, with cafe sales and catering pickups on a one-time basis and weddings booked as customized episodic projects at professional-services pricing; a 15% public holiday surcharge applies to cafe service.

The company employs 11-50 people and serves three principal customer segments: walk-in cafe visitors to the Children's Farm, mid-market wedding and private event hosts, and corporate/private event clients requiring catering. Distribution is concentrated at the single Abbotsford physical site, supplemented by an owned e-commerce storefront for pickup catering and gift vouchers, plus referral listings on Easy Weddings and PolkaDot Weddings marketplace platforms. Marketing relies on organic social (Facebook, two Instagram accounts for cafe and weddings), website content, and email newsletter capture. No proprietary technology platform, mobile app, API, or AI capability is disclosed; the underlying stack is a standard WordPress website with cart functionality.

Name

The Farm Cafe

Legal name

The Farm Cafe

Website

https://farmcafe.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Farm Cafe operates a dine-in cafe, wedding and event venue, and catering business at the Collingwood Children's Farm in Abbotsford, Melbourne. It serves cafe visitors, wedding hosts, and corporate clients with on-site dining, event management, and pickup platters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cafe and Event Catering Services

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAFACAF

Farm-to-Table & Contemporary American Restaurants

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Full-Service Restaurants (Casual & Fine Dining)

Keywords

• Cafe dining services
• Wedding catering
• Event venue hire
• Corporate catering
• Farm hospitality

Headquarters

HQ city

Abbotsford

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Cafe Dining: The cafe generates revenue through seated dining service 7 days a week, offering modern cafe food and coffee. Walk-ins are welcome with no advance bookings required.
2. Kiosk Sales: Visitors to the Children's Farm can order from the kiosk and eat in the farm picnic area, providing a casual counter-service revenue stream.
3. Weddings & Events: The farm provides wedding and event catering and management services with customizable packages, furniture, styling, and multiple venue options including the Oak Tree ceremony site and the Barn reception space. They have 10 years of experience and have created hundreds of customized celebrations.
4. Corporate Catering: Catering is available for corporate events, birthday parties, and other functions hosted on the Farm, with pickup service from the cafe.
5. Shop Products: Online shop selling catering platters including sausage rolls, scones, sandwiches, cupcakes, fruit platters, muffins, and drink tabs for pickup.
6. Gift Vouchers: Gift vouchers available in denominations of $20, $40, $50, $75, $100, and $150, redeemable for cafe meals or farm entry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Farm Cafe operates a dine-in cafe serving modern cafe food and coffee 7 days per week at the Collingwood Children's Farm in Abbotsford, Melbourne. It also provides wedding and event catering, event management, and venue hire at rustic farm locations (Oak Tree ceremony site and Barn reception), plus a retail catering pickup shop selling platters (sausage rolls, scones, sandwiches, cupcakes, fruit platters, muffins) and gift vouchers.

Product overview

The Farm Cafe operates as a hospitality business offering three interconnected service lines: a dine-in cafe at Collingwood Children's Farm open 7 days a week serving modern cafe food and coffee; comprehensive wedding and event services including catering, venue hire, and event planning with various menu packages (cocktail, seated 3-course, vegetarian/vegan, and beverage options); and a retail catering shop offering pre-orderable food platters for pickup including sausage rolls, scones, sandwiches, cupcakes, fruit platters, and muffins, plus gift vouchers available in set denominations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Farm Cafe Dine-in Service Seated cafe dining and walk-in service offering modern cafe food and great coffee in a plant-filled setting overlooking Collingwood Children's Farm, open weekdays 9am–3pm and weekends 9am–4pm.
• Weddings & Events Service Comprehensive wedding and event catering and management offering rustic farm venues (Oak Tree ceremony site, Barn reception), customised packages, furniture, styling, and flexible menus for weddings, special celebrations, and corporate gatherings.
• Catering Service Catering service for corporate events and private functions held at the Farm or off-site, with food prepared for pickup on the day.
• Farm Cafe Gift Voucher Redeemable gift voucher for cafe meals or farm entry, sold in denominations of $20, $40, $50, $75, $100, or $150.
• Sausage Roll Platter Pre-orderable catering platter of sausage rolls priced at $48.00 for pickup, for events and gatherings.
• Scones with Jam & Cream Platter of traditional scones with jam and cream priced at $25.00–$45.00, available for pickup orders.
• Kids Sandwiches Platter Sandwich platter for children's parties priced at $30.00, available for pickup alongside party space hire.
• Cupcake Platter Cupcake platter priced at $40.00 for pickup, suitable for events and gatherings.
• Seasonal Fruit Platter Fresh seasonal fruit platter priced at $50.00 for pickup catering orders.
• Mini Muffins Platter Mini muffins platter priced at $25.00–$45.00, available for pickup catering orders.
• Drink Tab Beverage tab priced at $30.00–$200.00 for events, providing drinks coverage for groups.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Collingwood Children's FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Farm Cafe is located within the Collingwood Children's Farm premises at 18 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford. The cafe overlooks the Farm and visitors can access the cafe via the Capital City Trail from the Farm.
• Easy WeddingsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed on Easy Weddings platform as a wedding venue, providing venue listings and exposure to engaged couples seeking wedding venues.
• PolkaDot WeddingsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed on PolkaDot Weddings platform as a catering and venue provider for weddings, providing listings and exposure to engaged couples.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Higher Ground Melbourne: Melbourne CBD cafe/restaurant known for modern cafe food and specialty coffee. Comparable to The Farm Cafe's cafe arm in food style, Melbourne market, and premium daypart positioning, though it lacks an on-site wedding/events business.
• Top Paddock: Melbourne cafe known for modern cafe food and specialty coffee. Comparable to The Farm Cafe's cafe arm in menu positioning, customer profile, and Melbourne market, without the events business.
• The Kettle Black: South Melbourne cafe and restaurant serving modern Australian brunch fare and coffee. Comparable on the cafe and coffee side of The Farm Cafe's business, with overlapping target customer and Melbourne market.
• Alowyn Gardens: Yarra Valley wedding gardens and event venue with catering packages. Comparable to The Farm Cafe's wedding venue business in offering picturesque ceremony/reception settings and bundled catering in Victoria.
• Calder Restaurant & Bar: Melbourne modern Australian restaurant with private dining and event packages. Comparable to The Farm Cafe on the full-service dining and event hosting side in the Melbourne market.
• Burnham Beeches / The Kitchen: Dandenong Ranges wedding and events venue with on-site catering and hospitality. Comparable to The Farm Cafe's wedding and events arm in offering a destination venue with full-service catering within driving distance of Melbourne.

Broad incumbents

• St. Ali Coffee Roasters: Melbourne specialty coffee roaster with multiple cafe venues and wholesale distribution. Comparable to The Farm Cafe's coffee-led cafe business and Melbourne hospitality brand, though it operates at a larger, multi-site scale.

Direct peers

• The Grounds of Alexandria: Sydney-based cafe, restaurant, and event venue housed on a heritage urban farm site. Directly comparable to The Farm Cafe in combining a farm-located cafe with a large wedding and events business, multi-stream catering, and retail/gift offerings.
• Zonzo Estate: Yarra Valley winery and restaurant running farm-to-table dining alongside weddings and events. Comparable to The Farm Cafe as a rural/agritourism setting hosting weddings plus on-site cafe/restaurant service in Victoria.

Others

• Collingwood Children's Farm: The heritage agricultural precinct where The Farm Cafe resides. Included as a strategic host-partner rather than competitor; The Farm Cafe's site exclusivity and foot traffic depend on this venue's continued farm operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheFarmCafe
• Instagraminstagram.com/farmcafe
• Xx.com/farm_cafe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Farm Cafe