COUPLE’S DREAM TAKES ANOTHER HIT
HAVING already been impacted heavily by drought, Grantham-based Awassi Cheesery suffered another blow when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
In just its second year of operation, the business was forced to cancel bus bookings and private functions, with drop-in customers also turned away as owners Di and David Piggott looked to find ways to stay afloat.
“The drought is really the main reason to change our business approach,” Mrs Piggott said. “COVID was just another spoke in the wheel.”
With a mantra to improvise, adapt, overcome – or wing it, the Piggotts used COVID-19 as another way to diversify their business, and started offering delivery of their sheep’s milk cheeses and dairy products to areas including Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
“This was not as successful as we had hoped,” Mrs Piggott said.
“(But) we persevered. Some businesses had to close and could shut the doors, we still needed to feed sheep, milk and make cheese.”
With the business still in its infancy, having only opened in 2018, the Piggotts and their team of local staff rely heavily on the support of the local community to operate and remain viable.
“Without local businesses, employing local people, who make their money go around the local region by supporting other businesses, community and supporting groups, schools and churches and local events, the wheel of life turns a little slower, or just stops,” Mrs Piggott said.
“We need customers to buy our products and value our products. We need customers to support us all year round – not just in COVID or drought.”
As well as their cheesery, the Piggott’s own Awassi Queensland and have been breeding Awassi sheep for
over eight y years.