How to Connect With Your Local Greengrocer Again

2 February 2018

Do you recall the days where your mum would ask you to ride down to the local fruit shop to buy some tomatoes she had forgotten to get? You would get on your bike and park it out the front, walk up to the fruito and he would look at you say “Heya kiddo, whatya mum forget this time!” and give you a cheeky grin. The guy was always a larrikin. Think those days are gone.. ? Nowadays all you get is big generic supermarkets where some pimple-faced kid stacks bananas and grunts at you… the commercials don’t live up to reality.

This is what I’m passionate about. The connection a local fruit shop has with the community and I’m holding on to it as long as I can! I’ve been at Graceville fruit shop for 20 years – I was schooled by my dad who ran the business for 20 years. And while the landscape of shopping has changed dramatically, there are some things worth remembering when visiting your local greengrocer.

Things you can find out when you visit are;

• Why there is a shortage of a particular variety of fruit – I go into the market every day and deal with agents and farmers directly who give me a complete understanding of what is happening in Australia and the world
• How to pick the best avocado – I can even get it down to the hour… You can tell me when you want to eat and the best way to store these precious items
• Special variety fruits like dragon fruit and how to use them
• When to expect a drop in price for red capsicums

I enjoy talking to you so you can appreciate the effort our agricultural and transport industries go to in order to bring the best produce to your table. I know the ads on TV make me cringe that Woolworths and Coles go out to the farmers etc, but that is Corporate Australia talking. Get real with your local greengrocer!