MEDIA RELEASE: Independent fruit and veg shops of Australia united with a new free magazine for shoppers.
23 JAN 2023
In late December last year, Independent fruit and vegetable retailers were united together with a brand new magazine offering, the ‘A better choice! Magazine, a product that is completely free for shoppers to collect at their local fruit and veg shop.
The magazine is breaking the status quo of free recipe magazines currently available, with a unique perspective to encourage shoppers to support their local fruit and veg shop by sharing recipes that highlight seasonal fruit and vegetables.
Steven Skopilianos of Ladybird Organics in Victoria has had a great response from his customers. “It’s been great to share the ‘A better choice!’ Magazine with our customers. As a small business owner, it’s great to know we are a part of a program that supports us and encourages consumers to come to our store. We have had some great feedback from our customers and they have loved the recipes that are included in the magazine.” Steven said.
The ‘A better choice!’ program is an award-winning initiative that supports over 800 independent fruit and vegetable retailers across Australia by encouraging consumers to shop at your local fruit and veg shop.
James Patrick, National Program Manager with Fresh Markets Australia and Co-editor of the magazine said “The ‘A better choice magazine!’ is something we’ve wanted to offer for some time now, and it’s great to see it finally out in the hands of shoppers. This project is all about highlighting the great fruit and veg available at local fruit and veg shops around Australia and all the hard work they do to keep Australian families fed with the best quality Aussie produce you can find. We’re so happy to have received great feedback from retailers and shoppers that they have been enjoying the magazine and found value in the content. We’re looking forward to more issues in the future and can’t wait to share more.”
The pilot edition of the magazine printed over 100,000 copies, with astounding demand and growing excitement for the next issue, expected in Winter 2023.
The magazine officially launched at an intimate event at Simply Fresh Fruiterers in Adelaide, SA with special guest and contributor Callum Hann in attendance. The event marked the launch of the magazine across Australia, and was a great opportunity for retailers to celebrate this achievement.
Masterchef winner Callum Hann said “I love the fact that now, Local fruit and veg shops have their own magazine. They’ve always had the best produce and the best staff with the best produce and they know what to do with it, but now it’s one step further again. The magazine is full of great tips and tricks and you get to meet the growers, and there’s a bunch of recipes in there including some of mine, so it’s jam-packed full of ideas.”
The magazine is available in limited quantities at participating retailers while stocks last, or is available to be read online. The next issue of the magazine will be launched in Winter 2023.
Contact Information
James Parick
‘A better choice!’ National Program Manager
M 0425757777
About ‘A better choice!’
‘A better choice!’ is the first national initiative designed to educate consumers about the quality, service and freshness of produce at their local fruit and vegetable shop. The program is a joint initiative under Fresh Markets Australia and The Central Markets Association of Australia. The program supports more than 700 fruit and veg business owners across Australia who supply 15% of the fresh produce sold each year. ‘A better choice!’ presents an opportunity for consumers to come together to help create a positive future for business owners, produce wholesalers and local growers who supply them.
About Fresh Markets Australia (FMA)
Fresh Markets Australia (FMA) is the national organisation representing each of the five Market Chambers, which themselves are organisations that represent the fruit and vegetable wholesalers located in each of Australia’s six central Markets (Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Newcastle).
About The Central Markets Association of Australia (CMAA)
The Central Markets Association of Australia (CMAA) was formed in 2001 to provide a peak body for the five capital city wholesale central markets around Australia. Its members include the Adelaide Produce Market, Brisbane Markets, Perth Markets, the Melbourne Market and the Sydney Markets.