Hi Russell,
The majority of the deliveries to FarmGates are for multiple orders so in any one run there may only be six drops for 30 boxes. All our route planning is done by software to find the optimum route.
As for incoming produce, we do some collections from the smaller growers but go to the Melbourne Market Epping twice a week to collect from growers there. We’ve found that for the medium to large producer having us pick up interrupts their days workplan, but we can work in with their existing practices by collecting at the market.
Cheers,
Alasdair
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Hi All
After years of working in not-for-profits around food in Geelong. I’ve up sticks and started my own market garden just on the outskirts of Clunes. Seems like a great community and I managed to score a part time job in a food social enterprise in Ballarat. Always keen to learn more. This site is so interesting
After 18 years in Horticulture, the biggest issue for growers seems to be marketing, how to get the best price for your product and how to sell it all.
Ill be growing all my seedlings except what I get from Boomeroo, but will be happy to grow to order. I leased my land from someone found through facebook !!! Got a good size block with enough land for ducks and chooks and the seedling operation. Also plan to grow Quail on the side.
Hello everyone!
I am Jane O’Brien and I am the Chairperson for the Inverell Community Gardens in Northern NSW
We are not-for-profit community group auspiced by our local Landcare organisation - Gwymac Inc.
Our Community Gardens are run by a 100% Volunteer Management Committee and a couple of Team Leaders. We have strong relationships with a number of local service providers including a high school, an unemployment agency with a work for the dole program, an early childhood service provider and a disability service provider. We also have a small group of dedicated Volunteer Gardeners that run a mini market garden & stall every Saturday and a Chooken Team that care for our chooks. We have allocated plots in our gardens as well as a nature playground, a compost program (Using scraps and waste from local businesses) and a worm farm.
Our mission is to nurture people, plants and the plant by
- Showcasing sustainable practices
- Providing opportunities for sharing knowledge, wisdom and culture
- Creating a space where people can belong and feel connected to both nature and others
- All contributing to a more self-sufficient community
We envisage a local FAIR FOOD SYSTEM will develop from our Community Gardens space and we have been having conversations with an unemployment agency to expand our mini market garden into a viable market garden that will provide the opportunity for members of the public to purchase local chemical free fresh produce.
Due to unforseen circumstances we need to relocate our gardens in the near future. We have been having discussions with our local Council re this for about 18 months and on the 23rd May 2018 re will be pitching to council requesting funding for infrastructure at our new site (currently a vacant block).
I feel like this will be a critical turning point for our community and I am looking for any information or advise anyone can offer us as we prepare our pitch to Council???
Specifically - Has anyone got a Governance Model for the operation of a Community Gardens (or the equivalent) in partnership with a local Council?
I look forward to linking up with others that are passionate about ensuring Fair Food in our country
Many thanks and happy gardening
Cheers
Jane
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I was just browsing the forum and realised I never introduced myself (I thought I had, so apologies if I’m doubling up here, but I couldn’t see it).
I’m Katie Finlay, and with my husband Hugh we’ve previously been organic orchardists (Mt Alexander Fruit Gardens) at Harcourt in central Vic. From 1 July 2018 we’re leasing the orchard to @Ant and are setting up the Harcourt Organic Farming Alliance (soon to be Co-op) on our little farm. We’re starting with 4 enterprises: Tellurian Fruit Gardens (Ant’s rebranding of the orchard), Gung Hoe Growers (a market garden run by Mel Willard and Sas Allardice), Sellar Farmhouse Creamery (a micro-dairy run by Tessa Sellar), and Carr’s Organic Fruit Tree Nursery (run be me and Sas).
The co-op is in very early days, but we got some useful funding through the federal Farming Together program to help us figure out the business model, and through Vic Gov Food Source Funding to build some infrastructure, which we’ve just started doing.
We’re looking for another couple of farmers to join the co-op doing small scale intensive production that will fit in with and be complementary to existing members. We’re thinking maybe berries, native foods, mushrooms, chooks, bees…or any idea anyone comes up with! We’ve developed a process to help people figure out if their idea is commercial (a pre-requisite for joining the co-op), and for us to assess whether we think you’ll be a good fit (very important in our tiny little community. If you want to find out more get in touch at info@mafg.com.au.
We’re also members of the ANOO network (Australian Network of Organic Orchardists), and I’m a director of Melbourne Farmers Markets as well.
We’re feeling very inspired by all these wonderful young people that are willing to commit to a lifestyle and lifetime of farming!
Hi! We are a small holding in Wellington NZ called THE ARK… because, yes we have every animal imaginable! We produce free range eggs (chicken and duck), Berkshire pork, and are just moving into vegetable production. I am from Sydney and moved here 5 years ago - planning to move back to the Central Coast in another 5 years and start a similar set up there. Hoping to make contact with folk around that area in advance if there are any? I am employed here in Wellington by Massey University, but not in the area of food - although I would love to be!
Justine & Vicki
Hi all,
I’m founder and designer of grubloop.com - a platform for small batch food production.
I was based in Sydney but moved to Sri Lanka about a year ago to find affordable tech talent as my own circles in Sydney had no knowledge of the world of code. I was inspired by my own struggle with trying to start a food business in Sydney and witnessing the struggles of several friends in their own lives. In particular people who were immensely talented cooks who had no way to begin to work towards their dreams due to circumstance. Long story short, the platform is now ready to begin beta testing.
The way I see it more people need to be empowered to take part in their local food economy. And I think that starts with empowering more people to cook. Because more people cooking means that more decisions are made about where the ingredients come from and that in turn spreads the demand to small holder farms. That seems pretty fair to me.
I would be grateful if any of you here would like to test-drive Grubloop and see if it is of any use to you. It’s fairly simple to get started and the process ensures that you are compliant with regulations. I’ll be available for questions throughout your experience and If this isn’t the right place I’ll setup a new topic.
I’m glad I found this forum!
Kind regards,
Mihira