Buy From the Bush: Supporting Local Home-grown Small Businesses

Twenty-twenty, what a year. Bushfires burned through more than 19 million hectares and over 3000 homes, devastating communities and destroying wildlife.

There were floods, then a global pandemic. Businesses closed, jobs were lost, lives were taken.

As Aussies, we take pride in beating the odds and helping our mates. And now they need us more than ever.

Tribe Tropical is part of the Buy From the Bush campaign and the company’s founder Emily designs all the swimwear, which is inspired by all things Aussie.

“It was really important for me to protect my children and other people’s children, so I wanted to create something unique,” Emily told A Current Affair.

“When people buy something that’s from a small business here in Australia, they’re not just buying the product, they’re buying the hours and the heart and soul that goes into that.”

It’s a family affair at Random Harvest. Dad Matt and sons Nick and Sam run the business, which sells quality condiments and ingredients.

“The salted caramel is to die for. Our olive oil comes from the Hunter Region, it’s the finest olive oil. Can be used for dribbling over steak or salad. Absolutely amazing,” Matt said.

Random Harvest was born 40 years ago, yet 2020 began as their most challenging. Then things turned a corner.

“We were batting down the hatches, but the whole Australian made and owned really made it come to light, it’s been amazing. We keep people in jobs in Australia, and the profits from all the manufacturers and all the way through the supply chain stay here,” Matt said.

No matter where you are, this family needs your support this Christmas.

I bet you never thought you’d hear the words “superfood” and “cheesecake” in the same sentence, let alone eat them.

But that’s exactly what’s so special about The Australian Superfood Co, which has not only generated seasonal employment for over 1000 Indigenous Australians, but it’s bringing native fruits, herbs and seeds to supermarket shelves.

“If we start with the bushfires, some of our farmers produced zero crop this year,” co-founder Hayley said.

“COVID impacted us significantly. I’ll never forgot that day in March — we had our fortnightly orders coming in from producers, then I received an email saying that order has been cancelled,” she said.

You can pick up a gold caramelised white chocolate and wattleseed cheesecake or gold raspberry and hibiscus trifle from your local Woolworths.

Auntie and niece Gemma and Eliza both lost their jobs earlier this earlier, but it’s been a blessing in disguise.

They took the opportunity to start Remarkable Humans, an online marketplace for Australian-made products.

“We have everything across all categories. We have home and lifestyle, health and beauty products and food and beverage,” Gemma said.

“They love that we’ve done all the hard work. We’ve read every single label, there’s not one product on our site that isn’t made in Australia,” Eliza said.

Supporting local is more important than ever this Christmas.

This article first appeared in Nine News and can be accessed here.

 

 

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