Building business box by box
A converted stone garage at 43 Rototai Road, belonging to Theo and Baden Blyth and marked by the nearby community mural and beginning of the “artwalk” pathway, is now the retail outlet for Our Community Stall.
It supplies quality organically homegrown vegetables, fruit and other local produce and products, but is not your usual retail outlet.
One of its most popular packages is the weekly “box” – single size for $20, couples $30 and family $40. It works like this: local gardeners bring in their surplus fresh produce at the start of the day (Wednesdays only in winter), and this is sorted and packed at the stall. In the afternoon, orders are distributed. The contents are made up according to not only what is seasonally available, but the customer’s preferred options. Currently the stall’s “box” customers are spread between Wainui Bay and Milnthorpe, and delivery is available.
Credit for setting up Our Community Stall goes to Dan Logtenberg, a computer programmer from Canada, and artist NgAng, who gave the little establishment a big art makeover and did much of the original organising of suppliers. His role now is mainly to pick up the produce and help out with deliveries, while Dan handles the retail side.
He says their main goal is to provide basic, organically grown foods, produced in the community and offered to the community at an affordable price.
“It’s a push for sustainability, not focusing on what anyone individual can provide. We are a community, after all. One thing we have realised since starting is finding out exactly what the Bay doesn’t produce enough of, like eggs, carrots and onions. Now local growers are beginning to fill those gaps.”
The pair is philosophical about objections raised by some members of the community about their operation after the stall started last December.
“That’s behind us now,” said Dan. “We have spent thousands of dollars on consents and registrations to get everything right, not to mention things like providing sealed off-road car parking. Our produce may not be “certified organic” but it is nearly all organically homegrown, free of pesticides and commercial fertiliser. When there is a product that isn’t completely organically grown, we let our customers know and that means a lot to people.”
Winter may not be as busy as summer, when the stall dealt with some 200 regular customers and was getting produce from some 50 local growers; however, demand is still great enough for box orders.
More information on Our Community Stall can be found at www.ourcommunitystall.co.nz.
Gerard Hindmarsh
