Australian Fair Food Forum

Mixed organic vegie box in the North East (Violet Town)?

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#1

Hi people

We have just moved to Violet Town in the north east of Victoria - about 2 hours up the Hume from Melbourne and are working out our best options for getting good food. We are thinking about starting a buying group / coop if we need to so we can improve access for ourselves and others. So I’m curious about whether there is a CSA or anyone doing direct mixed veg box (or who might want to) who would be interested in customers in Violet Town?

Or if people know of others close by that we can join forces with?
Cheers
Kirsten

poing @carolyn @jademiles2 @serenity

#2

Ha - too funny!

I can hook you up with Claire Hoffman, who does veggie boxes in Mansfield.

David Arnold would be a great person to ask. And join the SCOFF group.

I have been wanting to get the Terra Madre bulk orders happening - but haven’t had time. Happy to help promote through OFN, and order monthly if you were interested? There is olive oil locally too (and many other things). Just needs an energetic champion!!!

Lets catch up next week? I will send you intro now to Claire. Retail organic shop - but very connected locally.

Best to you,
Carolyn Suggate

E:- carolyn.suggate@gmail.com
M:- 0448 778 074

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#3

Thanks Carolyn! I will invite Claire to this thread as well so she can promote what she’s doing publicly if she wants to, and David - great ideas. What is the SCOFF group? Do you have anymore info / way to get in contact with them?

and yes, we are thinking bulk dry food as secondary to our immediate fruit, veg, milk, eggs etc needs but definitely on the radar, especially as we are driving up from Melbourne every week at the moment and could easily transport for others

#4

Hi Kirsten, meet Annabelle.

Annabelle was the fabulous ONE doing Terra Madre orders. Annabelle - Kirsten & Serenity have just moved up, and keen to become involved in the local food space.

How do they join SCOFF? SCOFF ers strathbogie@googlegroups.com is the google group?

And … would you be ok for them to assist with the bulk orders of TM, through OFN. And any other bulk products that folks want can be added (i.e. who gives a crap, or Olive Oil).

Best to you,
Carolyn Suggate

E:- carolyn.suggate@gmail.com
M:- 0448 778 074

#5

Hi Kirsten,
Carolyn, thanks for adding me to this.
I run an organic grocery in Mansfield. We buy mostly certified produce through the Epping markets but also buy a fair amount locally when possible which we include in our weekly box offerings. We have 3 sizes of food boxes available which we fill with the best selection of seasonal food from that week. The prices vary from $25, $35 to $55. I currently deliver to Benalla every Tuesday and drive straight past the Violet Town turnoff each Tuesday and Wednesday so could easily incorporate Violet Town into our weekly run. My phone number is 0406 103 699 if you are interested in talking more.

Cheers

Claire

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#6

Sorry for the delay in responding Kirsten, I got a wee bit preoccupied with this forum and spent to long reading every other thread and forgot to come back to the original reason i’m here!

Yep VT is a little far for RADgrowers, but you could always come visit :slight_smile: I know there’s a small grower in Wang (Jack Herry, Natural Produce, grows for ten fams i believe) - and a bigger cert org growers (by bigger 2-3 acres me thinks) just out of Seymour (http://www.somersetheritageproduce.com/). But I can’t think of anyone closer. As mentioned Dav Arnold might be in the know.

Perhaps there’s an opening for VT veggie growers kirsten/serenity/charlie - i can see it - the A team :wink: x

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#7

Hey there, There’s a possibility to get something happening with the new Yellow Box Growers team out of Seymour, once they’re fully up and running. Dave Chun in Strathbogie is another contact. Definitely Dave Arnold.

The food exchange and BEAM also need to get into Terra Madre ordering through OFN. We are doing that manually at the moment. Our next bulk foods order is scheduled for June/July.

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#8

Thanks everyone and sorry for the delay in response (life gets busy!)

OK, so having a look at all options above . .

  • I have found and emailed Jack Herry (https://herrysharvest.wordpress.com)
  • Somerset’s website says that they have a shop on Fridays in Seymour now and seems more geared to restaurants etc, but I will check with Robbie. Also they do take wholesale orders which could be an option for a buying group - will also check minimum order . . to be updated
  • @CynthiaLim happy to hear more from Yellow Box if/when they are ready. I met them at the Tallarook FM a few months ago I think - bought lots of vegies :slight_smile:
  • @murrnong has plenty of veg that he’s eating himself but not looking to sell
  • @claire your offer could be a good option, but at the moment we tend to arrive in Violet Town late Friday night and leave on a Tuesday night for our ‘work-days’ in Melbourne, so timing maybe not ideal. Would you have a minimum order / number of boxes to make the stop worthwhile or you’d be happy to do it for one order? Also would you want subscription or happy for occasional?

Sounds like there is definitely interest in coordinating some organic bulk dry orders, which we can pretty easily bring back from Melbourne. I’ll start a new thread on this . .

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#9

er…, Murrnong is not a ‘he’, it is a ‘they’

David Arnold


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#10

Somerset website is out of date. Their shop in town was running 5 days but just gone back to 3 days a week. Thurs to Sat. Bernard runs the store called farm gate of Somerset.

#11

In terms of organic bulk dry order, there is also the BEAM bulk food scheme, which @CynthiaLim runs: http://www.beam.org.au/food/bulk-food-scheme/

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#12

Hey Kirsten.

Please let me know re the bulk order. I have been doing this myself (only way to feed big teen boys@), but happy to jump on Board if you have room. I will be coming back from Melbourne next Friday - happy to drop by if that works? Or if you are coming back early next week would love to start an inpromptu one then>?

I had’t worked out through OFN how to do this - I think Jade may also have been interested (to use OFN bulk ordering).

Cheers,
Carolyn

#13

yep @CynthiaLim mentioned this above - seems like potential cooperation!

#14

Hi Kirsten,
I am Bernard and I run the Farmgate of Somerset store in Seymour.
We are currently changing our model from being a five days a week shop, to being open three days a week and offering boxes of fresh produce and dairy.
If you are interested in boxes there is a range of options and platforms we could discuss so things could work everybody.
:smiley: Bernard

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#15

Great! thanks @bernardlmhickey - will you be doing any delivery or it would be collection of boxes from the shop? and do have any idea what days that might be?

I’m pretty sure we could collect from Seymour on our way past, but it might be lateish on a Friday night . .

#16

@bernardlmhickey would you consider boxes delivered direct (collected via courier) to Mansfield/Violet Town area? That could be ordered online (through OFN?).

I would be interested in this, and think others may be also… if all grown on farm (or direct from other producers locally)

#17

@Jen & @CynthiaLim

Would you interested in a monthly bulk only order from Terra Madre? That enables bulk orders to be delivered direct from Melbourne to Seymour, Mansfield, Violet Town and maybe Beechworth? Strathbogie?

Suggested weekend of Violet Town market - but deliveries could be ‘championed’ any time by area coordination?

I am happy to help/promote Mansfield area, through OFN with @kirsten (central collection point/time only) Perhaps this should be a different thread to Organic vegie boxes?

@jademiles2 would any Beechworth Coop people be interested in bulk. Or does this cross over with what you already offer?