FROM POTS AND PINTS TO WORKWEAR, SAFETY GEAR
A BUSINESSMAN best known as the former face of Ingham’s iconic Hinchinbrook Hotel has launched a new venture that is a world away from the hospitality industry.
“It’s something I never saw myself doing to be honest,” said Stuart Cocking of Herbert St business Hip Pocket Workwear & Safety Ingham.
Mr Cocking, a chef who learned his trade at the Broncos Leagues Club in Brisbane, backed away from the Hinchinbrook Hotel last year and took a sabbatical to refresh and ponder the road ahead.
It was in Melbourne that he was introduced to the world of workwear and safety gear by his sister, and thought he would give it a crack in
Hinchinbrook, a shire dependent on its agricultural sector and sugar mills.
He said that decision culminated in the opening of the new business on September 14, part of an expanding 50-strong franchise throughout Australia.
“It started down in Victoria, it’s a regional, rural store that looks after the locals, local businesses and local industries,” he said.
“The mould of that fits perfectly with what we’ve got here; you’ve got your mills, you’ve got your farm workers, you’ve got your cane farmers and on top of that you’ve got hospitals, doctors, nurses and tradies.”
Mr Cocking said an important asset in the hospitality sector was the “gift of the gab”.
“Selling stuff has always been me, whether that’s a beer or whether it’s a steak,” he said.
Remaining in Hinchinbrook had also been an important consideration for himself, wife Megan and son, Cooper.
“We could easily have packed up and moved somewhere new and lived happily ever after but I think with the good friends we have and Megan’s family it made the decision to stay pretty easy,” he said.
“And if we were going to stay I was going to start a new business.”
Mr Cocking said the business had been well supported by the community.
“So far we’ve been more than overwhelmed to be honest,” he said.