HELPING SMALL BUSINESS SPREAD THE WORD
DIPPING into a world of new and exotic flavours has been a key trend during the pandemic.
That’s the view of Fresh Fodder, a small business based in Orange, NSW which produces homemade soups and dips and was forced to hire more staff to meet consumer demand for its products.
But it wasn’t always a smooth process for the family-run business, which initially saw a 40 per cent downturn in revenue due to COVID.
“It was worrying at the time but once things settled down, we began to see an upwards trend as people began spending more money on food,” Fresh Fodder managing director Max Schofield said.
Its recent partnership with Woolworths to sell three of its flavours — Taramosalata, Tzatziki and Mediterranean Tapenade — across 400 supermarkets had increased Fresh Fodder’s production volume by 25 per cent.
It’s also allowed the business to make a $400,000 investment in new manufacturing infrastructure that has dramatically increased the factory’s efficiency.
“We’ve had a lot of support from the local community and we’re thrilled to be able to provide more local jobs at a time when so many industries are struggling,” Mr Schofield said.
Woolworths category manager for dips Justin Heffernan said customers want to support Australian small businesses and locally made products.
“We love seeing small suppliers thrive in our stores, and continue to look for new opportunities to offer customers even more high-quality Australian made products,” he said.