Growers and consumers linked with unique box

The lockdown also meant some vulnerable people were unable to go about their day-to-day lives, advised by health authorities to limit their contact with the public and to stay at home where possible.

The unusual combination of being told to stay indoors and a lack of supply avenues, including to farmers' markets and the hospitality sector, coincidentally led to the launch of Farmbox Co.

The idea was struck to help link growers with consumers, offering small boxes of essential items and fresh produce delivered to consumers' front doors on a regular basis.

Fast-forward 12 months and the operation which was formed to mitigate access to fresh food during the COVID-19 pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down, with patronage steady as word of mouth spreads.

One of the directors of Farmbox Co Basel Aridi said the operation started off at Verducci Market Gardens at Hazelwood North in Gippsland supplying only greens, but has since grown to offer a variety of fresh produce.

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"People were very cautious to leave their homes and ag businesses suffered significantly, particularly when they relied on selling their produce to the hospitality sector and also at markets," Mr Aridi said.

"At the very beginning when we started off we wanted to be there for farmers and we were delivering 30 to 50 boxes of produce a week.

"As lockdown progressed and we got into stage four we were delivering up to 250 to 300 boxes a week."

In the early stages of the plan, the boxes were being delivered to people who were avoiding leaving their homes, but more recently the organisers have noticed time-pressed people are signing up to have fresh food delivered from a convenience point of view.

"We now have two boxes - the seasonal farm box which changes every week and the standard box which offers a range of different veggies and fruits," Mr Aridi said.

"Our other box is the essentials box because not everyone wants 20 different fruits and veggies but it might offer tomatoes, potatoes and capsicums and what not."

The seasonal box retails for about $60 while the essentials box is $40 or slightly less for subscribers.

Mr Aridi said Farmbox Co also previously joined forces with Gippsland Jersey to offer butter and milk and a Gippsland honey producer.

Lauren Fankhauser, whose family own Fankhauser Apples, supplies about 80 kilograms of fruit to Farmbox Co on a weekly basis.

The Fankhausers have grown apples in Australia for close to 150 years and grow about half-a-dozen varieties on their 40-hectare orchard at Drouin.

Last year they harvested approximately 1.71 million tonnes of apples.

Ms Fankhauser said the company was pleased to be involved with an initiative which was helping consumers understand where their food was grown.

"It helps so many people that are vulnerable or time poor and they deliver every week so it's a really practical idea," she said.

"We were lucky here [during the pandemic] because we never stopped working and everyone needed to eat fruit and veg.

"Our apples end up in the supermarkets or small fruit stores in the city and we supply to as many local places as we can so to get behind Farmbox Co is one of the ways we do that."

Another regular supplier to Farmbox Co, Gippsland Free Range Eggs at Willow Grove, supplies about 15 dozen eggs to Farmbox Co a week and has done so for close to a year.

"During the pandemic we couldn't keep up with demand because people realised how important home-grown food is and people really supported local producers," Gippsland Free Range Eggs owner James Hill said.

"It also means we don't worry about deliveries to our local customers and that allows us to focus on other areas of the business."

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