BY HENRIETTA COOK
As the supermarket price war intensifies, many local producers have decided to make more money by selling at farmers' markets.At the Capital Region Farmers' Market at Exhibition Park in Canberra, farmers say they are able to receive up to three times more for their produce than they would from the supermarket giants.
Graham Davidson, of Orange's Hillside Orchard, used to get paid $1 a kilo for his apples, which then appeared on the shelves of major supermarkets for about $5 a kilo.
However, about 70 per cent of his produce is now sold at the EPIC farmers' market and at a roadside outlet, where he receives $3 a kilogram for apples.
''It means the difference between making money and making a loss,'' he says.
''I don't know how a lot of growers survive in the industry.''
In 1972, there were 320 apple growers in the Orange district, now there are about 36.
He says the current system is unsustainable and needs to change.
''I don't like to make a point of supermarket bashing, we have to learn to coexist. But it would be better if the process between growers and supermarkets was tidied up and there was a more equitable return to the grower.''
Balzanelli Smallgoods in Fyshwick used to sell ham to Woolworths for as little as $3 a kilo. But in 2000 the supermarket giant got a better offer with another smallgoods supplier, and gave the family business one month's notice before their contract expired.
''The majority of our business was with them and we nearly went broke,'' marketing manager Sandra Balzanelli recalls.
But Ms Balzanelli said the supermarket fall-out has allowed the business to come back with a vengeance. ''The standards we were producing were atrocious because we had to meet their prices, so we have spent last 10 years improving product and quality of brand.''
The business, which has been in the family for three generations, now has a handful of awards under its belt, including the best bacon in Canberra.
The Balzanellis now receive $32 a kilo for their ham at the EPIC farmer's market, and also stock their produce at smaller supermarkets like Supabarn.
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Graham Davidson, of Orange's Hillside Orchard, used to get paid $1 a kilo for his apples, which then appeared on the shelves of major supermarkets for about $5 a kilo.
However, about 70 per cent of his produce is now sold at the EPIC farmers' market and at a roadside outlet, where he receives $3 a kilogram for apples.
''It means the difference between making money and making a loss,'' he says.
''I don't know how a lot of growers survive in the industry.''
In 1972, there were 320 apple growers in the Orange district, now there are about 36.
He says the current system is unsustainable and needs to change.
''I don't like to make a point of supermarket bashing, we have to learn to coexist. But it would be better if the process between growers and supermarkets was tidied up and there was a more equitable return to the grower.''
Balzanelli Smallgoods in Fyshwick used to sell ham to Woolworths for as little as $3 a kilo. But in 2000 the supermarket giant got a better offer with another smallgoods supplier, and gave the family business one month's notice before their contract expired.
''The majority of our business was with them and we nearly went broke,'' marketing manager Sandra Balzanelli recalls.
But Ms Balzanelli said the supermarket fall-out has allowed the business to come back with a vengeance. ''The standards we were producing were atrocious because we had to meet their prices, so we have spent last 10 years improving product and quality of brand.''
The business, which has been in the family for three generations, now has a handful of awards under its belt, including the best bacon in Canberra.
The Balzanellis now receive $32 a kilo for their ham at the EPIC farmer's market, and also stock their produce at smaller supermarkets like Supabarn.
1 Next 2
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