A hospitality business owner has praised his broker and insurer for providing a “seamless” claims process after his drinks warehouse was gutted in an arson attack.

Jess Conti was at home on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula when a security company called to say alarms had been triggered at his premises in Keysborough, a 40-minute drive away.

“I jumped on the cameras to see what was happening, but the cameras had melted,” he told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

When he arrived at the scene, the building – home to alcohol distribution company 80ProofLiquor – was wrecked (pictured).

The fire on Thursday April 23 was fuelled by accelerants and has been linked to the “hospitality wars” involving a series of firebombings at food and drinks businesses.

Mr Conti, an 80ProofLiquor co-founder and hospitality veteran, says he contacted broker Heath Lane from Adroit Insurance & Risk in Bendigo.

He then called Zurich and by Friday afternoon a loss adjuster had arrived. The next Monday, the insurer’s forensic team was on-site.

“They forwarded us some money to help us along the way. It has all been positive. They have been very helpful,” Mr Conti said.

“The loss adjusters have been great. They have been working us through the process. So far it has been seamless.”

Last week, Mr Conti took to LinkedIn to update and thank supporters, including Zurich.

He wrote that more than $1 million of stock was destroyed.

“Overnight, eight people lost their jobs, and more than 15 people were financially, emotionally and personally impacted by what happened.

“Many of them had families relying on this business and their livelihoods changed instantly.”

Mr Conti told insuranceNEWS.com.au damage to the property could be up to $2.5 million. 80ProofLiquor does not own the freehold.

His LinkedIn post added: “The reality is that behind every small business are real people trying to build something, support families and create opportunities for others.

“The past few months have been one of the hardest periods of our lives, but through all of it we’ve also seen the best side of people ... the impact of what happened continues to affect many people connected to the business both financially and emotionally.”

Several teens were charged with the arson attack. Two, aged 15 and 16, received youth supervision orders. They pleaded guilty and one had a conviction recorded while the other did not.

Victoria Police’s Operation Eclipse is investigating the arson attacks, believed to involve organised crime gangs recruiting teens and paying them as little as $1000 to light fires.