Hub answers need for clean and green

A community-run grocery store focussing on fresh and organic produce is making a difference to local farmers and growers.

The Baw Baw Food Hub has gone from strength to strength, providing a platform for organic producers as well as an increasing consumer demand for clean green products.

The hub began as a small vegie box pick-up direct from farmers’ front doors and has grown to a full grocery store offering fresh produce and locally sourced bulk foods.

Such has been the growing demand that the volunteer-based hub is now opening five days a week.

BBFH manager Lynda Hoare said the hub was run by locals, mostly volunteers, who were making a difference to farmers in the area by paying a fair price.

The food hub is a not-for-profit group based in Warragul that sources organic, natural and local produce for its customers.

“Our principles are about local, ecological farming and making it available to people.

“Ninety five per cent of our range is certified organic and that’s important to us to support those organic growers who are being innovative.

“We pay the farmers as well as we can but try to keep the food affordable for people to access,” she said.

Lynda was one of the original suppliers who developed the concept of a hub and it has grown from the combined produce of two local organic farms.

The first 20 vegie boxes were packed in 2014. It started small – with vegetables picked in the morning, packed into crates and dropped off at a central Warragul carpark.

Within a few months, Baw Baw Organics found a local packing space, and organic milk, bread, fruit and eggs joined the weekly offerings, supporting a larger collective of farmers.

The hub is run by a committee of about 12 people and a band of volunteers who support three paid staff.

They now pack up to 200 boxes every Tuesday for subscribers to the pre-packed weekly box of vegetables. But, shopping is now open to anyone.

Julie Thompson is a customer, grower and committee member.

As a retired doctor, she said she had an interest and passion for healthy foods and improving access to fresh healthy food.

“We want people to learn about food, cooking foods and encourage them to eat seasonal, local and healthy food.

“The hub is a way to support small producers. I can pick my figs in the morning and have them here in an hour to sell,” she said.

Another supplier, Phil Rowe of Sunny Creek Organic said the hub was am avenue for suppliers to tap into people’s interests in buying locally grown produce.

“We came here to buy produce anyway so it’s nice to share the buying and the selling.

“Organic foods have come of age. If anything, it’s becoming more normalised.

“It’s good to have a local and enthusiastic business model here – it inspires loyalty from the people who come here,” he said.

The hub is now located in a larger warehouse in North Rd, with an extensive range of healthy and unprocessed and package-free produce.

A wide range of staple food s are available in bulk, with customers bringing their own containers to buy rice, oats, dried fruits and nuts, olive oil and dozens of other foods.

The hub is a busy social meeting place on Tuesday, when vegie boxes are collected by families and the wider community.