Producers of poultry, beef, lamb and pork have combined with market gardeners and flower growers in a forum to explore potential to combining their efforts to better promote local product. The workshop at the Bowling Club on July 18 was facilitated by Linda Tilman of the Tilma Group, well-known to Tenterfield through her work on the Future Towns rebranding project.
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Participant Geoff Robertson said that through his involvement in veteran golf and comments he hears from those travelling to Tenterfield for events, he feels there are opportunities for a branded product.
“Tenterfield has a special place in people’s minds,” he said.
He would like to see local beef producers cash in on Tenterfield’s reputation with a cooperate including both feedlot and grass-fed cattle under a common banner.
”I don’t know how to get it off the ground,” he said.
Gauging the value of such projects and identifying ways to coordinate cooperation were the focus of the forum.
“There are opportunities, as producers of Tenterfield, to work cooperatively to get higher prices,” Ms Tilman said.
She said the town is ideally positioned to leverage the paddock-to-plate boom, with growing interest in agritourism where consumers are keen not only to eat the produce but to meet the people who grew it.
“There are real opportunities for connecting people with our food.”
She said the Youth Food Movement illustrates how youth in cities are craving a connection with the countryside and where their food comes from.
“It’s at around 18-35 that people start shopping and cooking for themselves, with little experience in growing food or being on farm.”
There’s also evidence of a ‘treat yourself now’ mentality amongst those who feel they will never be able to afford a home, playing into the hands of producers of premium product. It may even be more important to be seen to be enjoying the natural food experience that to actually experience it, with social media a major platform for spreading the word.
Kathryn Sommerlad of Sommerlad Chickens and the driving force behind the successful High Country Table local produce dinners summed it up well, saying “it’s about selling the sizzle, not just the sausage.”
“Tenterfield is the perfect spot for the New England High Country experience, being the first spot from Brisbane,” she said.
“So many people enjoy travel and paying for food experiences.”
Tenterfield Apples’ Tom Ford agreed that the target market is urbanites, saying you have to travel from Tenterfield to get the premium prices.
“You have to do the hard yards to start with,” he said. “The returns are there, and can continue into the future.
“Go to the farmers markets. They’re a great starting point.”
Consistency of product is also a crucial factor with Mr Ford, for instance, using his applies as mulch once they’ve passed their prime rather than selling a second-grade product at a reduced price, with buyers then resisting the higher price when the new season comes around again.
The scale of projects discussed ranged from a central website with links to individual producers, to regular local farmers markets (ideally in an all-weather indoor venue), to a regional food network, to showcasing Tentefield products at the top restaurants in Brisbane. If someone has a spare couple of million to invest in a local meat processing facility, that would also open a lot of opportunities, according to Mrs Sommerlad.
Some experienced market stallholders in the group doubted the viability of weekly markets catering to local householders, saying premium product demands premium prices which might not sit well with price-conscious shoppers.
Ms Tillman said the Toowoomba Farmers Market has made a big difference to the culture of Toowoomba, which now boasts a real food scene. She said it involved a shift in attitude with householders now doing their weekly shop at the market.
Dave Fowler suggested convening farmers markets to coincide with large events like Oracles of the Bush, which bring in a large number of visitors many of them urban-dwellers to whom the concept of a farmers market appeals.
Should a more regular local outlet be warranted, Mandy Craig suggested the Artists’ Collective Studio model of producers volunteering their time on a roster basis to man the shop, potentially in one of the vacant shopfronts in the CBD.
A regional food network is a more structured way of producers in an area coming together as a cooperative to promote its produce, as done by Batlow Apples, Bega Cheese and Margaret River Wines. Ms Tilman said it’s up to producers to determine if it would work in Tenterfield, if it is necessary, and if it would make a difference.
“It’s a big commitment, but not impossible,” she said.
Other suggestions were a middle man ‘curator’ to market the Tenterfield brand, a weekly courier to transport local product to CBD markets or even a roster to share market stall duties.
Ms Tilman went away with plenty of ideas and suggestions to develop several ideas to bring back to a second workshop in around two months time. Anyone wishing to be included can provide Granite Borders Landcare with their contact details on (02) 6736 3500.
The Landcare committee is coordinating the endeavour as the result of an invitation to apply for the federally-funded Farm Co-operatives and Collaboration Pilot Program, but needs producers’ input for the application to be considered, project manager Mrs Craig said.
