What Silver Chef does

SilverChef is an Australian-listed (ASX: SIV) specialty equipment financier founded in 1986 and headquartered in Brisbane, focused exclusively on the hospitality industry for over 40 years. The company provides flexible funding solutions — primarily through its flagship Rent-Try-Buy 12-month rental product with mid-term upgrade flexibility, alongside Lease-to-Keep hire-purchase agreements (24–60 months), Custom Equipment Lease, Buy Back sale-and-leaseback, and the Community-Equip program for not-for-profit operators. Funding tickets range from $1,000 to $250,000+ with sub-five-minute approval for applications under $65,000 and a 96%+ approval rate, targeting SMB restaurants, cafes, bakeries, takeaway operators, bars, microbreweries, coffee roasters, and franchisees.

The business operates a vertically integrated model combining financing origination with an equipment retail and refurbishment operation. SilverChef distributes through a digital-first e-commerce storefront (10,000+ SKUs), a nationwide dealer network of hundreds of hospitality-equipment partners, and wholly-owned regional operations in New Zealand, Canada (EconoLease), and the United States. Its proprietary Certified Used Equipment program refurbishes ex-rental assets (typically under 2.5 years old) through a multi-stage process and resells them at discount with a 3-month warranty, creating a circular residual-value recovery loop that pure financiers lack. The company is a Certified B Corporation and has deployed more than $2.6 billion in financing to approximately 100,000 hospitality businesses globally.

Revenue is generated through recurring weekly or monthly rental and lease payments, fixed interest spreads on hire-purchase contracts, establishment and early-termination fees, sale-and-leaseback transaction fees, and one-time equipment resale margins on Certified Used and clearance inventory. GTM is sales-led with a digital-first acquisition layer (SEO, content, email, social) feeding a self-service application funnel, supplemented by dealer-originated financing and inside-sales phone support. The leadership team includes CEO Damien Guivarra, Founder and Non-Executive Chairman Allan English, CFO Graeme Fallet, and Robert Phelps as President of Canadian Operations.

Name

Silver Chef

Legal name

SilverChef

Website

https://silverchef.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

SilverChef is an ASX-listed (ASX:SIV) Australian specialty financier founded in 1986 that exclusively funds commercial hospitality equipment through flexible Rent-Try-Buy rentals, lease-to-own, and sale-and-leaseback products, serving SMB restaurants, cafes, bars, and bakeries across Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Equipment Finance and Leasing

NAICS

Consumer Electronics and Appliances Rental (532210)

SIC

Services-Equipment Rental & Leasing, Nec (7359), Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350)

akta.pro primary industry

Appliance Leasing (Home & Kitchen) (FSAKANAC)

Keywords

• Equipment finance leasing
• Hospitality equipment funding
• Commercial kitchen leasing
• Rent-to-buy equipment
• Used kitchen equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Rent-Try-Buy: 12-month rental agreements with flexible options to upgrade, return, or purchase equipment. Customers pay low weekly rental payments that are 100% tax deductible. If customers decide to buy, they receive a rental rebate of 75% of net rent paid in year one and 25% thereafter. Funding ranges from $1,000 to $250,000+. This is the primary revenue stream.
2. Lease-to-Keep: 24, 36, 48, or 60-month hire-purchase agreements where customers own equipment at end of lease. Minimum funding $10,000 with approval within 2 business days. Fixed interest rate for the term. Includes establishment fee of $495 and early termination fee of $300.
3. Custom Equipment Lease: 24-month hire-purchase agreement for custom-made and non-standard equipment. Minimum funding $1,000. Covers custom equipment, fixtures and fittings for commercial kitchens.
4. Certified Used Equipment Sales: Sale of fully refurbished ex-rental commercial kitchen equipment. Equipment is typically less than 2.5 years old, comes with 3-month warranty, and is sold at discounted prices compared to new equipment. Also includes third-party stock from dealer partners.
5. Buy Back: SilverChef purchases eligible equipment from businesses and provides cash injection, then rents the equipment back under a 12-month Rent-Try-Buy agreement. Equipment must have market value of $1,000+, have data plate with serial number, and be unencumbered.
6. Community-Equip: Specialized financing program for community organizations and not-for-profits using hospitality to support disadvantaged people. Provides access to Certified Used equipment at up to 55% discount and nearly 20% reduced rental rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Silver Chef provides flexible finance and leasing solutions exclusively for hospitality operators to acquire commercial kitchen equipment. Its core offerings are Rent-Try-Buy (12-month rental with upgrade, return, or purchase flexibility) and Lease-to-Keep (24-60 month hire-purchase for ownership), supplemented by Custom Equipment Lease, Buy Back, and Community-Equip programs. It also operates an e-commerce platform selling Certified Used, New, and Clearance commercial kitchen equipment sourced from its dealer network and refurbished ex-rental inventory.

Product overview

Silver Chef is a commercial kitchen equipment finance company offering a portfolio of financing products and equipment sales. The core offerings include Rent-Try-Buy (12-month rental with flexibility to upgrade or purchase), Lease-to-Keep (24-60 month hire-purchase for ownership), Custom Equipment Lease (24-month financing for custom equipment), Buy Back (cash injection from existing equipment), and Community-Equip (community organization financing). Alongside financing, Silver Chef sells equipment through three channels: New Equipment (through dealer network), Certified Used Equipment (refurbished ex-rental with warranty), and Clearance Equipment (sold as-is). The company also provides an Equipment Finance Calculator tool for estimating costs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rent-Try-Buy: Flexible 12-month rental agreement allowing hospitality businesses to try equipment before deciding whether to buy
• Certified Used
• Community-Equip
• Lease-to-Keep

Products and services

• Rent-Try-Buy A flexible 12-month rental agreement for hospitality equipment that allows businesses to rent equipment with low weekly payments (100% tax deductible), upgrade or change equipment at any time, and receive a rental rebate of 75% of net rent in year one and 25% thereafter if they decide to purchase. Funding ranges from $1,000 to $250,000+.
• Lease-to-Keep A 24-, 36-, 48- or 60-month hire-purchase agreement for equipment funding where businesses own the equipment at the end of the lease term with a fixed interest rate. Minimum funding $10,000 with approval within 2 business days. Includes $495 establishment fee and $300 early termination fee; director's guarantee required.
• Custom Equipment Lease A 24-month hire-purchase agreement for custom-made or non-standard hospitality equipment, fixtures and fittings (such as canopies, exhaust hoods, POS hardware, and security systems), enabling businesses to spread costs over two years. Minimum funding $1,000.
• Buy Back A cash-flow solution where Silver Chef purchases eligible equipment from businesses and rents it back to them under a 12-month Rent-Try-Buy agreement, providing immediate capital. Eligible equipment must have a market value of $1,000+, a data plate with serial number, and be unencumbered.
• Community-Equip A tailored finance program for registered charities, not-for-profits, social enterprises, and Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander corporations using hospitality to support disadvantaged people. Offers relaxed credit requirements, certified used equipment at up to 55% less than new prices, and rental rates nearly 20% below standard.
• Certified Used Equipment Australia's largest range of refurbished ex-rental commercial kitchen equipment, typically less than 2.5 years old, backed by a three-month parts and labour warranty. Includes third-party stock from dealer partners. Equipment can also be rented via Rent-Try-Buy.
• New Equipment Brand new commercial kitchen equipment sourced through Silver Chef's dealer network, available with Rent-Try-Buy or Lease-to-Keep finance options.
• Clearance Equipment Discounted used, runout, ex-demo, and scratch-and-dent commercial kitchen equipment sold as-is at reduced prices, not refurbished.

Quantifiable outcome

• Finance approval in under 5 minutes for funding under $65,000
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Hundreds of Hospitality Equipment DealerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSilverChef partners with hundreds of hospitality-equipment dealers nationwide who facilitate equipment sales and financing arrangements. Dealers provide equipment selection guidance and help customers complete financing applications through SilverChef's platform.
• SilverChef New ZealandcoreOthersRegional operation in New Zealand (silverchef.co.nz) serving the New Zealand hospitality market with the same equipment financing products.
• EconoLease CanadacoreOthersRegional operation in Canada (econolease.com) serving the Canadian market with hospitality equipment financing solutions.
• SilverChef United StatescoreOthersRegional operation in the United States (silverchef.com) serving the US hospitality market with equipment financing products.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Crest Capital: US equipment financing company providing leases and loans for commercial equipment across multiple industries including food service. Operates a similar vendor-channel model financing equipment purchases by SMBs.
• Latitude Financial Services: Australian consumer and commercial asset finance provider (formed via merger of FlexiGroup and Certegy). Offers lease and rental products to SMBs and consumers including point-of-sale finance, making it the closest direct competitor to SilverChef's Rent-Try-Buy and lease offerings in Australia.
• 360 Equipment Finance: US equipment finance lender focused on small and mid-ticket commercial equipment leases and loans. Comparable in customer profile and ticket size to SilverChef's hospitality SMB finance offering.
• Stearns Bank Equipment Finance: US bank providing equipment lease and finance products across commercial equipment categories. Comparable as a US SMB equipment finance provider with a vendor/dealer channel distribution model similar to SilverChef's dealer network.
• Ascentium Capital: US equipment finance provider (subsidiary of Truist Financial) focused on small-ticket equipment leasing and loans through vendor and direct channels. Operates a similar SMB equipment finance model to SilverChef, particularly for commercial kitchen and food-service equipment dealers.
• Marlin Equipment Finance: US-based equipment finance company providing lease and loan products to small and mid-sized businesses across multiple equipment verticals. Directly comparable to SilverChef's vendor-channel equipment leasing model.

Regional players

• Pepper Money: Australian specialist lender offering asset finance and commercial loans. Comparable to SilverChef as an Australian non-bank provider of commercial asset finance products to SMB customers.

Broad incumbents

• CIT Group (First Citizens Bank): Large US commercial bank with a significant equipment finance division serving SMB and mid-market equipment financing needs. Provides comparable commercial equipment finance products including capital leases and loans to vendor channels.
• Canon Financial Services: Captive equipment finance arm of Canon USA, providing leases for commercial equipment. Comparable as an established equipment finance specialist with vendor-channel distribution, though narrower in product category than SilverChef.
• DLL (De Lage Landen): Global vendor finance company owned by Rabobank, offering equipment leasing and finance across food and agriculture, healthcare, and industrial verticals. Comparable to SilverChef as a large-scale equipment finance specialist with food-service adjacency.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheSilverChefTeam/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/115499569357
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/silver-chef-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/silverchefau

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Silver Chef