A fair shake of the sauce bottle

As Sydney’s home of ‘village life’, it’s perhaps only appropriate that the inner west should be an early adopter of any trends which bring the country back to the city. In this light, it’s no surprise a burgeoning number of Leichhardt and Rozelle residents are becoming the ‘City Cousins’ of family-owned farms, a result of their association with Food Connect Sydney.

Food Connect is a social enterprise connecting local farmers with city slickers through an organic fruit and vegetable box subscription service. Since it started deliveries in February, the subscriber base has grown steadily, now standing at around 300 people. The number of ‘City Cousins’, meanwhile, is currently just over 30.

Food Connect Sydney grew out of the experience of the initiative’s Enterprise Co-ordinator, Julian Lee, running a family-sized farm. As he puts it, the basic idea is relatively simple. “We buy direct from local sustainable farmers, box them up, and deliver it to neighbourhood pickup points throughout Sydney,” he said. “I guess my interest has always been in looking out for farmers, and making sure that this healthy, nutritious food – free of chemicals – is accessible to as many people as possible.”

As a percentage of what the consumer pays at the supermarket, farmers can receive as little as five cents in the dollar – “so to make it, you have to sell a lot of food,” he said. “That favours the big industrial conglomerates, as opposed to the family-style farming people might prefer. It certainly doesn’t favour local, in-season farmers, the ones we can actually connect with.”

Lee emphasises the ‘good citizen’ nature of Food Connect. “We’re trying to be an ethical purchaser in the market. When a farmer gives us an invoice, we pay it on time. Sometimes they have massive amounts of money owing to them, which due to the power imbalance [with industrial purchasers], they can’t get back.”

Boxes come in three different sizes, ranging from $35 to $65. The pricing is “quite reasonable”, according to Ash Houghton, proprietor of Satellite Café in Newtown, who says the convenience factor should also not be underestimated.

“We’re a community-based café – many of our customers live near here, and it’s received an excellent response from them,” she said. “The farmers get 40 per cent of the profit this way, instead of getting ripped off by Woolies and Franklins.”

Glebe resident Kathryn Elliott is both a ‘Cousin’ and subscriber, meaning she receives a truckload of fresh produce at her house every week, ready for subscribers to pick up. A nutritionist and food writer, she described herself as especially interested in the differences people can make via individual consumer choices. “There’s a great sense of community around it,” she said. “People come and chat with me and with each other, so I get to meet new people every week… it appeals on a number of different levels for me.”

For more information on Food Connect, visit http://sydney.foodconnect.com.au