{"title":"MELBOURNE BUSHFOOD- WINDSOR, VIC","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e- A FEW WORDS FROM THE MAKER -\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eWe got our start in September 2019 with a social mission to bring native ingredients into as many tummies as we could!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHayden Marks was 21\u003c\/strong\u003e at the time with a huge drive to turn his passion for equality and sustainability into a force for change.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePeople need to eat\u003c\/strong\u003e, and the practises we have in place looked like there could be no alternative. Nature was being mowed down, streams polluted, and animal life being seemingly wiped out. How could a single 21 year old even challenge such an old system?! \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eAnd that's when I uncovered bushfood...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMy journey to bushfood\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eBeing young, I had energy on my side. I called farmers all across the country asking if they knew where native ingredients grew. I sent emails to agricultural societies asking where I could find some.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eAnd it was in a small, cramped, health food store in Melbourne's central business district that I found an old, out-of-date bag of Wattleseed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eTrying not to cry at the premium price, I eagerly ripped open the bag inhaling the sweet smell that was so similar to chocolate, coffee, and hazelnuts. Finding bushfood that really reflects the story of each ingredient didn’t happen overnight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eIt started with a chance discovery whilst studying, and took a lot of hard work (and a lot of eating) to bring ethical, purposeful, and sustainably sourced native ingredients to your pantry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eAustralia's native plants have fed humans for thousands of years. They provide a rich bounty where alien grains and orchards die. Their nutritional content has been shown to be far superior to modern foods, and offer an exceptional culinary experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eThe more I learned, the more I knew how important bushfood was.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHOW WE GOT HERE\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"font-main mt-5 leading-snug mx-auto rte\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eLearning first hand from Aboriginal Communities and hearing their stories, I realized there was a big problem in the native food industry. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eLow quality, corporate food manufacturers were preying on consumers by offering a bushfood flavoured product than contained 0.01% of native ingredients - \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow could you even taste that?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eIt got worse the more I dug. Even the wholesale suppliers of these ingredients stored them for years-on-end due to the seasonality of bushfood, leading to a flavourless, dull, poor quality ingredient.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow could a 21 year old even fight such an industry?!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eI decided to form partnerships instead. That's where we found a vast network of Aboriginal Enterprises, Wild Harvesters, and Small Farmers who had the same passion and love for native ingredients I had. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eThey have the respect, kindness to Country and drive for an ethical industry, so we started to work together.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eUnderstanding the importance of Indigenous Ecological Knowledge, we knew we didn't want a business that's sole focus was on profits. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eWe wanted an enterprise that gave back social benefits to the producers we worked with - and that's where the idea for Melbourne Bushfood came from.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","products":[],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0286\/3493\/9470\/collections\/image_89483344-68b6-46e6-8fc3-0573c6f42f0b.jpg?v=1700597544","url":"https:\/\/themakersmarketplace.myshopify.com\/collections\/melbourne-bushfood-windsor-vic.oembed","provider":"Australian Makers Marketplace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}