We are here to support local farming communities…

CERES is one of the largest buyers of organic produce in Victoria and wants to use this buying power to support sustainable agriculture, small farm families and strong local economies. We have been buying from some of our growers for more than 10 years now and have built strong relationships based on sticking with each other right through growing seasons and not chasing the lowest or highest prices during times of over and undersupply. We are farmers ourselves and know in the long term the only way everybody wins is if we commit to supplying and buying consistently and setting fair prices for farmer and retailer.

Our aim is to buy as much of our produce direct from farmers as possible. We are currently buying direct from over 20 local organic growers and we would like to see that number grow to over 50 in 2011. We pay on delivery to ensure farmers have the cash flow to concentrate on growing food rather than talking to bank managers. If you are an organic Victorian farmer and you would like to grow for CERES go to our Growers’ page for more info.

Our Buying Policy

First, we grow it ourselves
We source seasonal, organic produce grown on the CERES Organic Farm in Brunswick East and Coburg.

We grow herbs like basil, coriander, continental parsley, dill, mint, lemon grass. leafy greens like lettuce, bok choi, silverbeet, chard, kale, spinach, and other vegetables like tomatoes, spring onions, zucchini, cucumber, beetroot, turnips, daikon and some interesting crops like nettles, milk thistle, rappa, and leaf amaranth. We also grow oyster and shiitake mushrooms in a specially made growing system housed in a number of converted shipping containers.

Second, we buy from our neighbours
We buy from backyard organic growers for example Pete, a CERES community gardener, has been providing CERES with home grown lemons, persimmons and figs for 7 years.

Third, we go to local farmers
We buy directly from as many local growers as we can find. Some of the local growers we proudly buy direct from are…

Fourth, we carefully source from wholesale agents
Then we buy through wholesale agents at the Melbourne Markets – where possible we seek out Victorian produce over produce trucked from interstate.

Fifth, we show people the food miles
Now, there are things that do not grow in the great state of Victoria all year round or at all – such as bananas – which judging by demand we’re not going to give up in a hurry. In these cases we’ll let you know on our website how many km’s each fruit or vegetable has travelled so you can choose to eat as locally as possible.

So, what about the bananas?
We understand there are people – especially parents of young children, who find it hard to do without bananas – so we will continue to source bananas but we’re looking to find the most sustainable way of bringing them down from NSW and Queensland. If you have any further queries, comments feel free to pop us an email at info@ceresfairfood.org.au