View this email in your browser

Welcome to the new normal!

Imagining a world with localised food and strong community ties

As a community, we've made it through one of the most trying times our world has seen. In the past few months we've seen communities rally together to create new systems of supporting one another whether it be wearing a mask to the grocery store or investing in new food distribution systems. MFH would like to thank you for everything you've done for your community and for supporting our initiative to recreate how, where and why we source fruits & veggies.

MFH began trialing fruit & veggie subscription business models in the Spring of 2019, before COVID was a household name, in hopes of finding a way of supporting local Victorian farmers and creating new ways for customers to access fresh produce. We learned from organisations around us and owe Edithvale Community Green Grocer a thank you for guiding us through their process, as well as Spoke & Spade Farm in Heidelberg West who partnered with MFH for our first fruit & veggie trial. Our official Grow / Source / Eat subscription was launched in early March and thanks to the help of our mentors, were properly prepared to scale up quickly and effectively. We've distributed over 3 tonnes of produce to homes around Melbourne and we don't plan on stopping!

As society begins to regain a sense of normalcy, even if it is a new socially distant normal, our subscription will continue to grow and thrive. We thank you for growing with us into this new reality. There is hope that we can rally behind pressing environmental issues in the same way we have rallied behind fighting COVID. That rallying starts now, by supporting farmers who are practicing regenerative agriculture and sustainable farming techniques we are creating a sustainable alternative to a dated agriculture industry that cares more about profits than the planet. Eating your fruits & veggies is a pretty easy way to challenge the status quo, hey?

Home Collection Points:

Want to share your love for locally sourced produce while making it easier for you and your community to receive a weekly parcel? Become a home collection point for your neighbourhood and we'll bring your parcel to you (along with a few others).

Home collection points act as community pick up locations for parcels. All you need is a shaded area to leave the parcels. Customers in the neighbourhood will come and collect their parcels during a set time, leaving you to enjoy your produce. Our collection points in Balwyn North and Northcote are both customers homes which has opened the door for more new subscriptions and more money back in the hands of farmers!

Spread the love:

Share the discount code CommunityCollection with neighbours. You'll both receive $5 off your next parcel!

Interested in becoming a collection point? Contact Nichole at nichole@sustainaustralia.org. Did I mention subscribers who choose to become collection points receive 10% off their parcel each week!
The perks of giving and receiving.

Current Neighbourhood Collection Points:

Balwyn North - Residential
Northcote - Residential
Footscray

Preston - Moon Rabbit Cafe
Thornbury - Icecream Social
Alphington - Melbourne Food Hub

Not feeling like leaving the house? We offer home delivery for an extra $5

Farmer Spotlight: Annemaree at Dalhousie Farm

Last week, MFH’s Comms. Coordinator and Grow / Source / Eat subscriber Georgia caught up with Dalhousie Farm’s Annemaree Docking to chat all things farm, food and future.

"This connection to the customer is so important to the ‘why’ and ‘how’ Annemaree farms ‘shortened supply chains are really valuable on a range of levels but don’t underestimate the value to my mental health as well. Most of my customers have also become friends. They become part of my social network and my connection to community and add to that depth of my life that I wouldn’t have if I just sent my eggs through a wholesaler each week.’"

Read the full interview here.

Food we love: Share your recipes and photos

Feeling stumped on how to transform your fruits & veggies into insta worthy dishes? Our community has you covered. We've started adding recipes to our MFH blog, they're easy to follow and will leave you and your family satisfied!

If you have a minute to scroll through social media between meal prepping and coffee shop hopping, check out our tagged photos on social media. Our subscribers are cooking up incredible dishes and sharing them with the world! Find and tag us on instagram: @melb_food_hub and follow along on Facebook.

We can't wait to see what you cook up this week!

Tell us what you really think:

We've been up and running for almost three whole months now and have distributed over 3 tonnes of produce to households around Melbourne! We wouldn't be where we are at today without you and we'd love to hear what you think about our program. If you have a moment, feel free to fill out our feedback form found here, it's anonymous and only takes a few minutes.

Wishing we added more hearty greens? Hate Kale? Tell us the honest truth and we'll try to improve our program to cater to our subscribers wants and needs.

Are we connected?

If you're keen for more information on our Parcel Subscription, be sure to follow us on Grow / Source / Eat Facebook page! We'll let you know on Monday's what will be in the week's parcel and post updates on farmers, veggies and everything in between.

Share pictures of produce, meals you create and recipes you love on social media! Tag us on Instagram: @melb_food_hub
We can't wait to follow along.

Copyright © 2019 Melbourne Food Hub, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.

Our mailing address is:
Melbourne Food Hub
2 Wingrove Street
Alphington
Melbourne, Vic 3078
Australia

Add us to your address book

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list .

This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
Melbourne Food Hub Boxes · 421 Sydney Road · Alphington · Brunswick, VIC 3056 · Australia