Farm to Fridge – Connecting Mid North Coast Producers to the Community
What if there was a way to access your region’s best fresh and nutritious produce without leaving home? Farm to Fridge has made that dream a reality for those residing on the Mid North Coast. Coastbeat spoke to President of the Great Lakes Food Trail and founder of Farm to Fridge, Sue Williams.
What is From Farm to Fridge?
Bringing together producers and providores from the Great Lakes Food Trail, Farm to Fridge is an online store that offers meat, dairy, baked goods, fruit, vegetables and beauty products. Sue Williams says it was set up to maintain the connection established between local producers and the community at Food Trail events. The online store opens every Sunday when they upload the week’s products. Orders placed by 2pm Wednesday are dropped off at collection points between Bulahdelah and Taree or delivered to your door on Friday.
“We’ve had a lot of support from people who want to buy fresh produce from farmers they’ve met on the Food Trail but don’t necessarily have time to go to markets,” Sue explains. “Farm to Fridge means they can have almost anything from the Great Lakes Food Trail in one weekly parcel.”
Gourmet selection
The online store features unique products you wouldn’t find in the average supermarket like Pot Set Buffalo Yoghurt from Burraduc Farm, Medium Rye Sourdough from Palms Artisan Bakery, Organic Vegan Pumpkin Chana Dahl from Chef Sarah and Blood Orange Sorbet from Serendipity.
“We’re very fortunate that the only A-Grade Buffalo dairy in Australia is right here in the heart of the Great Lakes,” Sue says. “Burraduc has won the prestigious Delicious Produce Award three years in a row!”
Sue is proud of the region’s family farms and says they set it apart. This is clear as she talks about some of Farm to Fridge’s contributors.
“We’re very, very lucky to have these amazing farms,” Sue enthuses. “Long Table Farm at Coomba Bay produces some delicious pasture-raised pork, Yeo Farm in Bulahdelah has Australian White Sheep and they produce pasture-raised lamb which is incredibly popular, while Valley View Farm at Rainbow Flat has won several awards for their organic garlic strains and also have an amazing market garden selling organic vegetables.”
Farm to Fridge during isolation
Farm to Fridge started slowly in December 2018 but Sue says production has ramped up over the last four months. The restrictions associated with COVID-19 meant fresh food delivery was more important than ever.
“During isolation, there were a lot of people who needed food to be brought to their doorstep,” Sue recalls. “In areas like Hallidays Point, Old Bar and Red Head, it’s a bit of a drive to the shops so we were happy to support residents there.”
Sue hopes that Farm to Fridge will continue to shine a light on the Great Lakes’ capacity for nutritious and ethical food production and enhance existing relationships between producers and the community. All going well, we will stage the next Great Lakes Food Trail event this spring. Sue says she can’t wait for people to have the opportunity to meet local growers, tour their farms and learn about their processes once more. Until then, we’ll have to jump online and order from the Farm to our Fridge.
Place your order on Farm to Fridge here and follow Great Lakes Food Trail on Instagram
Looking for dinner inspiration? Try our cheap and easy schnitzel recipe.