There’s a reason Melbournians know the name Brunetti. They’ve been creating cakes for decades, so much so that for many, it’s not a celebration if it’s not a Brunetti cake. But the business has grown to be so much more than that, all whilst remaining widely respected and wildly popular.
Establishing an institution
Brunetti’s history goes back to 1956, when Giorgio Angele first came to Australia as the official pastry chef for the Italian Olympic team. “When the Olympics finished, he decided to stay in Melbourne, opening up his first cake shop in Kew,” says Giorgio’s son Yuri Angele, Owner and Director of Brunetti Oro. In 1991, Giorgio purchased a little shop in Carlton called Brunetti, and together with his sons, has since grown it into the iconic Melbourne brand that it is today.
2021 saw younger son Yuri taking the lead on Brunetti Oro.
Our vision for Brunetti Oro was and is that it’s an evolution of an Italian tradition.”
Yuri Angele → Owner and Director, Brunetti Oro
“What this means is that rather than sticking with the status quo, our aim is to expand upon our traditions – creating innovations in products and practices that bring a new life and enhanced quality into the Brunetti experience.” This includes a build-your-own Croquembouche, and same day cake orders.
Running multiple locations
Brunetti Oro now operates in three locations, its flagship Flinders Lane store, the Myer Melbourne cafe, and the Brunswick store which is directly attached to the production facility. With plans to open two new locations in Chadstone Shopping Centre and on Swanston Street, continuity across all their locations is vital.
“The previous POS system did not have all the functionalities we needed such as gift card synchronisation or the ability to sell gift cards online,” says Yuri.
Square is a one stop solution.”
Yuri Angele → Owner and Director, Brunetti Oro
With gift cards being a big part of their business, a unified gift card solution was important. “We do sell electronic as well as physical Gift Cards in all outlets including our website. Franchise Suite helps us sync all the gift cards across the business so customers can redeem it in any store including online.”
Expanding their offerings
Brunetti Oro is much more than a cake shop. There’s a full service area where you can get favourites like the Spaghetti Carbonara (yes, the version with guanciale & egg yolk) and their deliciously charred pizzas, but still has its staples. “In the Flinders Lane store alone we get 12,000 coffee orders a week. In our sweets range, Italian classics like the Tiramisu and Cannoli always sell well, but also cakes like the Brunetti Rocher and Black Forest are popular.”
With a growing team of over 200 employees, tools need to be easy to learn and simple.
Square has a very user-friendly interface for frontend and backend users. Once we showed the staff how things are done in the POS we never had to come back to it again.”
Yuri Angele → Owner and Director, Brunetti Oro
Square Dashboard also gives Yuri and their managers insight into how the business is doing at all locations, at any time. “It helps us to have consolidated reports in one platform.”
“‘Oro’ in Italian means gold, which marks our promise that everyone who walks through our doors or visits our online shop will be treated to a gold standard experience – both in quality of the product and the service,” says Yuri.
“Using Square Register has proven to be a positive addition to our operations, streamlining our workflow and providing a pleasant experience for both our team and our valued customers.”
How they’re staying ahead
Bringing Brunetti Oro into the modern world also means collaborations. With a partnership with United Petroleum and an exclusive coffee blend for the pair with Lavazza, Yuri has his sights set on getting Brunetti into more places for more people to enjoy. “United Petroleum stock our specially made range of Brunetti Oro cakes, which has allowed us to expand our reach out of Melbourne and into the rest of Australia.”
Despite this, quality is still king at Brunetti Oro. “Our focus is on the product – continuing to innovate within our range while keeping the quality that our customers know and love is a must.” And aside from the great cakes, coffees and meals, key to Brunetti’s longevity has been their broad appeal. Inside the pasticceria you’ll find uni students, business lunches, visitors and long-timers. “To this day we have Nonna’s who have been visiting for decades and tourists on their first trip to Melbourne sitting side by side in the restaurant”.
