Food co-op turning backyards into businesses

Bathurst WholeFoods Co-Operative Ltd has recently been registered with the Department of Fair Trading as a non-profit co-operative association.

Now all they need is to get as many local growers on board as possible to provide the home-grown produce that will draw people in.

The formation of the food co-op has been orchestrated by the Bathurst Community Climate Action Network.

Food co-op facilitator Ross Macindoe said that essentially the co-op will provide a market for people of all ages who are interested in growing fresh produce for sale.

He said so far more than 50 people have expressed an interest in becoming co-op members.

“There is a strong demand for fresh locally grown and organic produce,” Mr Macindoe said.

“In fact, the demand is greater than supply at the moment, therefore we want to encourage more people to grow food locally.

“It can be on any scale. Vegies can be grown in a backyard, a community garden or a market garden. You don’t need a lot of land or money. We’d love to see kids who want to make a bit of pocket money involved.

“Older people might find it an interesting challenge and it could be a way for people with a disability to find useful employment. It is labour intensive but it is enjoyable work.”