Our Amazing Producers
Meet Matt, the mushroom man! In 2018 Matt quit his job in sales and started Melbourne Gourmet Mushrooms, full-time, from his three car garage in Melbourne’s inner north. Completely self-taught, Matt now supplies various farmer’s markets, a gourmet grocer and the occasional restaurant with a variety of shiitake, lions mane and oyster mushrooms!
Interested in their health benefits and the important role they play in the environment, Matt is a self-confessed mushroom junkie with a clear philosophy: know where your food comes from and how it’s produced.
Meet Ivy and Adrian, the Gut Flora Warriors.
Their business ‘The Good Seed’ was born out of necessity. Battling their own health issues they both turned to Kefir - a probiotic rich fermented beverage. Thrilled with the results they started brewing their own, initially sharing it with family and friends.
Before long they were selling their home brew at farmers markets across Melbourne, later relocating to the Mornington Peninsula as their business began to grow.
Today they operate from a factory in the Melbourne suburb of Carrum Downs where they produce various flavoured kefir, vegan kimchi and kefir ice pops.
Meet English-born chef and charcuterie King, Robbie Bell.
Along with his wife Rebecca, Robbie launched City Larder in 2015: a wholesale supplier of traditional French-style charcuterie that was conceived with small independent retailers in mind.
They’re all about small batch, handcrafted, restaurant quality products - using Australian ingredients - sourced from ethical producers.
They know all of their farmers and suppliers and believe in supporting local, sourcing the best possible produce and turning often discarded ingredients into premium products.
But what’s so lovely about this family run business is that unlike many wholesalers, these guys maintain a strong presence at Farmers Markets across Victoria!
Meet father and son duo, John and Tony Dench.
From their humble beginnings in North Fitzroy to a bakehouse that now supplies cafes, restaurants and independent grocers with handmade organic sourdough, pastries and cakes - Dench is a much loved part of Melbourne’s inner north.
Established in 2005, the bakehouse maintains a grassroots feel through prioritising quality over quantity, being acutely aware of where they source their grains and, of course, by maintaining a presence at farmers markets.
Meet organic farmers, Marg and Jason! Hazeldean Forest Farm specialises in organic apples, apple cider and sparkling wine and the most delicious apple cider vinegar.
In 1986 Marg and Jason relocated to a spectacular 92 acre property in West Gippsland, establishing a demonstration tree farm to encourage others to grow trees for windbreaks, habitat, firewood, fodder and timber production.
Today the property is alive with bees, insects and birds…and produces an abundance of fruit all year round.
Planted between 1988 and 1992, the orchards have been certified organic for over 30 years. Now fully matured, there are variety collections of chestnuts, walnuts, persimmons, peaches, plums and of course apples. And until you smell and taste the beautiful produce Marg and Jason grow here - it’s difficult to really appreciate just how beneficial their organic practices are….particularly when it comes to flavour. The benefits of having healthy soil and nurtured surrounds is extraordinary.
Meet Ian and Courtney, a young couple making us rethink the way we view the humble bag of flour.
Established in 2016 Woodstock Flour has a focus on wholegrain, stoneground flours from grain grown on Ian’s family farm ‘Woodstock’ in Berrigan, NSW.
Woodstock has been in Ian’s family for four generations and has been Certified Organic for 24 years. The farm integrates sheep, cattle and various crops on a beautiful 2000 acre property in the Southern Riverina.
Ian and Courtney both wanted to work on the land and saw farming as a means for environmental restoration and community building. They also saw an opportunity to provide their community with fresh flour of known provenance, which wasn’t common at the time.
After testing the waters with a small bench top flour mill at farmers markets, they imported a New American Stone Mill in early 2018 and have since been supplying freshly milled flour to bakeries, restaurants, shops and families in their local region and across Victoria.
A small team in a smaller venue, committed to bringing you a daily dose of goodness. Devoted to the slow game, they source local grain, before it’s freshly stone ground and fermented using naturally occurring lactobacilli and yeast.
Their menu is a straightforward approach with a few seasonal curve balls for good measure. Sourdough crumpets toasted in cultured butter, topped, filled and dripping with classic house made or locally sourced spreads. They focus on providing a list of Victorian honeys, available to soak in or take out by the jar.