Carine
This Wednesday on Christmas Eve morning Carine, an original 2010 Fair Food floor crew member, will work her last shift.
After 16 years on the packing line Carine will walk out of the Fair Food warehouse for the last time, get into her campervan and begin her retirement with a trip around Australia.
When Carine first started at Fair Food we didn’t really know what we were doing. Fiercely competent and from a particularly unforgiving background, she had little time for the rest of us.
We were all a bit scared of Carine and wondered how long it would be before she got sick of us and left.
But still, she stayed on.
And though the packing line slowly got more organised Carine continued to be blunt with her advice and withering in her observations of her co-workers and managers.
And still, she stayed on.
There were regular run-ins with other staff and Carine was given a permanent spot at the boxing station, which also happened to be a bit away from everyone else.
Still she stayed on.
After about eight years, we began to suspect that Carine, who with all her bluntness, bluster and general disdain for everyone, might in fact actually love us.
Over the next eight years Carine softened, well a bit. She regularly volunteered her time and became particularly dedicated to training new staff to be the best packing crew members they could.
And in those eight years, despite Carine’s best efforts not to let us, we began to love her too.
Two weeks ago at her farewell everyone turned up to say goodbye, including many of the people she had trained to work on the line.
When we asked her questions about her early days at Fair Food and her coming holiday. She answers with great seriousness and her trademark thoroughness.
We celebrate her; regale her with speeches, tell tales of her good deeds and legendary moods, she’s hugged and thanked and given gifts for her trip.
She will be greatly missed.
Happy trails Carine.
Everyday Miracles
If you look, you can see them everywhere…
..in this year’s bright, bright orange Silky Oak flowers
In the hopeful eyes and body waggle of our dogs
In the quiet help of a friend in a hard moment
In an unexpected flock of black cockatoos
The food we eat is an everyday miracle; farmed or made with great skill and love by people who despite all the odds and challenges feel somehow compelled to provide for us.
This time of year as we get ready to gather and share food we like to give thanks to the farmers, foragers & mushroom growers, bakers, beekeepers & sprouters, chefs, cheesemakers & chocolatiers, brewers & wine makers, foresters, fishers & providores, soap crafters, egg collectors, tea towel artists and anyone who fed or looked after us in 2025 …
Akimbo Bread
Al Naturale
Alasya Turkish Bakery
Alex Bake
All Australian Organics
Aquer Foods
Arancini 4 All
Aroha Earth
Atypic Lab
Aussie Soap
Australian Pumpkin Seed Company Pepo Farms
Australian Superfoods
Australian Sustainable Dairies
Back To Basics
Backyard Honey
Barambah Organics
Bee Sustainable
BeesFriend
Bellco Group
Bellevue Orchard
Biodynamic Marketing Co
Bite Me Fine Foods
Black Chicken Remedies
Blue Pumpkin
Blue Sky Organics
Boatshed Cheese
Broth of Life
Calendar Cheese
Central Victoria Honey
CERES Fair Wood
CERES Microgreens
CERES Propagation
Ceres Organics Australia
Chappy’s
Claire Mosely
Cockatoo Grove
Cocoa Rhapsody
Cooki Haircare
Croft
Daintree Estates
Dan’s Empanada Bar
Daylesford & Hepburn Mineral Springs Co.
Dench
Dorr
Dr Planet
E. & A. Salce
Eat Rite
Emmeline Park
Encore
Eze
F. Legudi
Farm Raiser
Farro Organico
Feel Good Foods
FieldTech Solutions
First ray
Fiveam
Flavorite
Foothill Organic
Fourth Wave Wine Partners
G2 E
Gazzola Farms
gfprecinct
Gippsland Free Range Eggs
Gippsland Jersey
Global By Nature
Go For Zero
Gollings The Florists
Goz City
Green Cauldron Farm
Green Gully Organics
Happygreen
Hawkers Beer
Healthybake
Heaps Normal
Himalaya Tibetan Tent
Honest Eggs
Honest to Goodness
Honey Lane Farm
Indys Pavillion
Island Home
J&M Alexandra
Jala Jala Treats
Joe’s Market Garden
Kadac
Kas Organics
Koko Black
Lanterns Australia
Legudi
Lello Pasta
Lil Bit Better
Little Tuna
Long Paddock Cheese
Love Tea
Luscombe Foods
Madame Tiger Australia
Madelaine Eggs
Market City Fruits
Melba Fresh Organics
Millett Road Maker
Monsieur Truffe
Mount Zero Olives
Mountain Bread
Mountain View Free Range
Mushroom People
Mwerre
Nature’s Cargo
NR & CL Baker
Organic Growers Group
Organic Needs
P & H Kamvissis
Paul Haar
Pepo Farms
Peter Vedder
PHD
Pierogi Pierogi
Plenty Valley Produce
Postmistress
Premier Fresh Australia
Premier Fruits
Priest Bros. Marketing
Pud for all Seasons
Pure n Cure
Pure Organic Harvest
Qbd the Bookshop
Raw Materials Australia
Ray Gregory & Sons
Remi’s Patch
Robb Wright Family Trust
Schreurs & Sons
Schulz Organic Farms
Shanghai Bene
Silvertine Farm
Sisterworks
Soggy Bread
Songbird Wine
Sophie Treloar Merri Creek Soaps
Soulfresh Group .
Southern Seagreens
Sp Getgoodgoods
Spiral Foods
Stir Crazy Lady
Strathbogie Ranges Garlic
Terra Madre
The Dirt Company
The Forage Company
The Mushroomery
The Whole Food Kitchen
Timor Coffee Roasters
Trialia Foods
Unique Health Products
Velisha National Farms
Vitalus
Waldner Grain Mills
Warbotanicals
Wheatbags Love
White Gum Apples
Who Gives A Crap
Wilder Foods
Wildwood Organics
Wilhelma Farm
Zai
Zeally Bay Sourdough
Thanks also to our amazing packers and drivers, dispatchers and supervisors, buyers and marketers, customer servers and managers.
And thank you to our customers and readers for your support this year, for all your messages, your recipes, your ideas, your poems, your pictures and your kindness.
Our last delivery day is Wednesday the 24th December we’re back on Tuesday, January 6th.
Have a great break
Chris
