Rural Affairs
Issue No. 12 - August/September 2003
Hills Food Producers Make a Party of it
Food producers in the Adelaide Hills are discovering the benefits of being part of a regional food network, with membership of the Adelaide Hills Food Producers group tripling in the past two years.
Starting with just eight members in 2001, the group now has 24 producers on its books, with honey, goat cheese, olive oil, gourmet crackers and jams just some of the foods being produced. The group has also managed to secure government funding through Adelaide Hills Regional Development and employ a part—time executive officer. The funding has been packaged through the Federal Government’s Regional Assistance Programme and a number of State Government agencies.
Chief Executive of Adelaide Hills Regional Development Michael Edgecombe said there were currently seven independent food groups operating in South Australia, with a further four on the drawing board.
“Regional food groups enable small producers to access advice and support that is normally only available to larger companies, without sacrificing the hand—crafted regional character of their products,” he said.
“Members can collaborate on issues such as training, marketing and distribution, and it enables them to have more weight when negotiating with government and industry bodies.
“Creating a strong regional identity for an area’s food products is also a powerful marketing tool, and many Hills producers are starting to recognise this.”
Executive Officer of the Adelaide Hills Food Producers group, and manager of Udder Delights, Sheree Dunford said the group had enabled local producers to work with and gain funding from government bodies.
“Working collectively with Austrade and Food SA we’ve been able to gain access to interstate and overseas export markets, and to participate in trade shows like Fine Food and the Good food Show,” she said.
“We’ve also been able to start developing a brand for the region, a new website and to raise the ...
