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Delivering the goods

THE ORIGINAL INSPIRATION behind the fresh food home delivery service, Aussie Farmers Direct, was two-fold: to re-invent old fashioned service and to help to re-connect Australian farmers with urban consumers.

The extraordinary growth of the business from its Victorian base in the past two years seems to have confirmed that the vision of the founders – Will Scott and Graham Adams – was right on the money.

They knew that the big supermarket chains had virtually a stranglehold on the market and they could dictate terms to the fruit and vegetable growers and, ultimately, to the grain, milk and egg producers who are selling their produce to the public via increasingly foreign owned processors who then sell to the giant retailers.

Getting squeezed in the middle between the supermarket giants and the food processors were the “little guys” – the people on the land. Scott and Adams believed – and thought that many other Australians would believe – that people would want to support their farmers and to maintain profits in Australia.

Their solution was to bypass the distribution chains and buy directly from the food producers – whether they be fruit growers, egg producers or locally owned bakeries – and then deliver the produce through a franchise household delivery service. While it is not quite the old horse and cart – think brightly coloured vans – the logic is the same.

Clearly it’s an idea whose time has come. In less than three years, sales are now running into the tens of millions generated through 72 franchisees – initially mostly in Victoria which is the home base – but now spreading quickly across the country. Imitators have begun appearing, but the company is confident that the business model they have put together will keep them in the lead.

The Aussie Farmers Direct business model attracted the attention of the judges winning it the St George Award for Best Start Up Business and the ActionCOACH Award for Outstanding Excellence.

ActionCOACH spokesman, Bruce Doyle said “Congratulations to all at Aussie Farmers Direct for enabling us to revisit and relive the past, with the convenience of fresh perishable products delivered right to your doorstep.”

More than 34,000 regular customers use Aussie Farmers for their staple needs – bread, eggs, seasonal fruits and vegetables. A clear attraction for many people – especially older folk and those who are time-pressed – is in alleviating the drudgery of grocery shopping.

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