My Account
The drive to reduce the dominance of supermarkets in the Mahurangi area has stepped up a notch.
The local fruit, vegetable and produce service Ooooby – Out Of Our Own Backyards – started in May, and now Hayden Kerrisk has launched New Zealand’s Patch, a home delivery service for fruit, eggs, herbs, meat, seafood and vegetables, and eventually other locally produced goods.
He says his vision is to enable local suppliers, businesses and communities to be self-sustainable when it comes to food.
“We plan to do this by bringing convenience and affordability to buying local,” he says.
“Through NZ’s Patch, customers buy directly from the suppliers and local businesses on the website, which takes out all the middlemen. As a result, suppliers are receiving 80 per cent of the retail value of their items.”
Local suppliers who have already teamed up with the new venture include Warkworth Butchery, Bonjour Patisserie, Matakana Smokehouse and Waysand Farm.
“Together we have created a one-stop shop for local food and we even deliver,” Hayden says. “We believe this will help funnel money away from larger corporations and back into the fabric of the community. The short distance that food has to travel also means its fresher with less need to add additives and preservatives.
“The door-to-door service also makes it very convenient for busy people.”
Meanwhile, Ooooby is now packing around 90 boxes each Tuesday at the Matakana Ooooby hub and has added many local products to the local Ooooby page.
“We are still keen to hear from anyone interested in providing Ooooby with organically grown or spray-free produce,” co-organiser Angelica Garcia Petersen says.
Ooooby has also expanded to Wellsford, where boxes can be collected from Wellsford Health & Wellness, 155 Rodney Street, every Tuesday from 2.30pm.
Info: NZ’s Patch, go to newzealandspatch.org Ooooby, go to ooooby.org
