The Fresh Five
This week we talk to Market pals John Chapman and Newton Harvey who apart from doing their day-to-day jobs, meet and have breakfast together at the Market most mornings.
 1. Your role at the Melbourne Market:
Newton: I’m a wholesaler from Harvest of the Yarra Valley, located in the fruit and vegetable stands. In the summertime we sell stone fruit, nectarines, cherries, peaches and apricots. We sell honey all year round.
John: I’m a long-time fruiterer, I’ve been at The Fruit Bowl in Monbulk for 28 years and I’ve been buying Newton’s honey for about 28 years, and it’s excellent!
2. If you could only take three fruits or vegetables with you to a desert island, which would you take:
John: Watermelon, it’s sweet and gives you something to drink. Bananas for energy, and a cara cara orange.
Newton: cherries, fresh hand-picked beans and honey because it’ll make the coconut milk on the island less boring.
3. When was the last time you bought flowers for someone (or had them bought for you):
Newton: Next question!
John: I don’t think anyone has ever bought me flowers and the first time they do I won’t get to see them, I’ll be in the box!
Newton: At least with you being older than me I’ll probably get to see the flowers…
4. Tell us something that is on your ‘bucket list’:
John: Retire. On desert Island. With some fruit. Didn’t I just answer that question…?
Newton: That sounds pretty good.
5. What do you most enjoy about working at the Melbourne Market:
John: Newton and I are on opposite sides of the fence and we can argue on price but when that’s done, it’s finished, and you move on. You build friendships here that last forever.
Newton: Hundreds and hundreds of small business owners getting together every morning. It’s great. |
The new national retailer program designed to encourage consumers to shop for fresh produce at their local greengrocer is continuing to roll out across Victoria.
As we communicated last week, the MMA are announcing a 90-day trial, week commencing Monday 1 October, for trade to begin at 3.30am, five days per week (that is an hour earlier on Tuesdays and Wednesdays).
It’s difficult to comprehend that something so small, found in most Australian homes, could cause such devastation and financial loss to so many. The strawberry needle scare has dominated the media since it was confirmed that the metal objects had been found by consumers in the much-loved berries, and while it has been a devastating time for the strawberry industry, there have been moments of light.
