Kosherworld is born as Katzy’s is sold

KATZY’S kosher restaurant was sold on Tuesday to Avron Rayman and Alan Greenstein, the same people who bought Eilat at Hadassah Kosher Butcher in August.

While the name Katzy’s will remain, The AJN can reveal the pair have been working for months to acquire the two businesses and have now officially launched the name Kosherworld as the umbrella organisation.

Greenstein told The AJN this week that both businesses need a refresh to bring “high quality, deli-cious meat, food, wine and other deli items to a growing customer base and at the best possible prices”.

He said the long-term plan is to diversify the business by creating a Kosherworld experience with raw meat, cooked meat, deli meats, wine from Israel, a restaurant, takeaway, wholesale and catering business.

“It is important that before we make any changes, we fully under-stand the pros and cons in each business, get a strong sense of what our customers want from us, determine how best we can satisfy those requirements, and then make the changes,” he said.

“Well-established businesses such as Eilat and Katzy’s need to leverage their solid bases but also move into the 21st century.

“There have been fundamental changes in the market and busi-nesses need to continually adapt and move with the times.”

Rayman, who is the CEO of Kosherworld, said there is an advantage to owning the butcher and restaurant.

“Kosherworld sees these as inde-pendent entities, each having to stand on its own feet,” Rayman said.

“There are advantages in hav-ing a wide range of activities under-taken across these businesses, and it is in maximising these opportun-ities, mostly through improved systems, better resource management, and strong internal controls.”

Sreuvi Lazarus, who has been involved with the butchery for many years and has experience in catering and food services, has assumed the hands-on managerial role at Katzy’s, with Brian Ziman, who has owned the business since late 2011, staying on during the transition.

Ziman told The AJN he has mixed feelings about selling the business.

“I got off a plane, immig-rated to Australia and took over Katzy’s on the same day,” he said.

“I have put in a lot of time and effort over the last five years, and I haven’t been able to live and take time to breathe and enjoy Australia so I’m looking forward to a new beginning.”

JOSHUA LEVI