Christmas cheer is a spectrum. On one end there’s Bill whose front yard light show is so big it causes statewide brownouts. At the other end is Barbara who has never seen Love Actually.
No matter where you fall on the spectrum, we can all agree that Christmas food is special. The nostalgic recipes, the family classics, the first bite of juicy, salty ham (and the last one three months later…).
Food is central to human celebration, and Christmas remains our largest shared occasion in Australia. There’s no better time to support local artisans, whose high quality, small batch offerings bring a magic to festive cuisine that even Barbara can’t deny – and here’s why:
🥗 The flavour. Smaller brands and artisans pride themselves on quality, usually making their products by hand, in smaller batches, without a bunch of compensatory additives and preservatives. More attention to detail and less corner cutting equals far greater flavour, and that’s especially important at the festive table.
🥗 The families. Many local and independent brands are a family affair, full of passion and tradition and motivations beyond making a buck. You are literally supporting someone’s dream with every purchase, as well as local communities and economies that keep Australia healthy.
🥗 The environment. Smaller brands give more of a damn about the planet because they’re closer to the ground, interacting with the growers who supply them, and the seasons/soil/water/climate they in turn rely on. Artisanal food goes hand in hand with environmental integrity, an increasingly important signal to conscious shoppers.
🥗 The point of difference. Modern shoppers are store hoppers, so niching your retail store matters. Stocking a beautiful range of local, artisanal products helps you stand out from other grocers and win repeat custom – particularly as a destination for deluxe Christmas goodies.
🥗 The giftage. There are no firm rules for which foods can/can’t be given as gifts, but artisanal fare is objectively more impressive and giftable than regular items of commerce. At this time of year, we all need grab-and-go ingredients that can double as a pressie to the host when we’ve run out of time to make an effort… we’re looking at you ROHO/Lauds/Poachers/XO Tea/Saturday Night Pasta/The Fermentalists!
🥗 The originality. A huge part of festive food’s appeal is the novelty factor; the once-a-year event that is Aunty Donna’s turducken. Artisanal foods have the same magnetism because they’re different to the mainstream, whether that’s in flavour, ingredients, transparency and provenance, preparation, gorgeous packaging, or all of the above. From authentic Jamaican condiments to boozy pasta sauces, single origin maple syrup to cacao vanilla kombucha, smaller makers have an appetite for experimentation and originality – and so do we.
👉🏼 You know where to find the brightest and mightiest makers