28/04/2026
Some days in small business, you honestly have to laugh, otherwise you’d cry. 😂
We had someone point out that “some of your things come from the Tablelands, but not everything.”
And they are right.
Not everything in our shop is grown on the Tablelands.
When we first started Tablelands to Tabletop, we were 100% Tablelands produce only. That was the dream. Eat local. Eat seasonal. Support our farmers. Keep food miles low. Beautiful idea.
But here’s what happened.
Customers would come in, buy the local bananas, papaya, limes, sweet potatoes and pumpkins, then leave and go straight to the supermarket for apples, pears, broccoli, cabbage, zucchini, tomatoes outside local season, and all the other things they still wanted to eat.
Then other people would walk in and say, “You don’t have much variety,” and walk out with hardly anything.
So we had a choice.
Stay 100% Tablelands only and lose customers to the big supermarkets anyway,
Or listen to what people were asking for and build a shop where local comes first, but we also fill the gaps with produce from Brisbane Markets when it isn’t being grown here.
So that’s what we did.
Tablelands first. Always.
But when local zucchini is not in season, and people still want zucchini, we bring it in.
When local tomatoes are not available, and people still want tomatoes 365 days a year, we bring them in.
When apples do not grow here, but families still want apples in school lunchboxes, we bring them in.
And yes, produce that travels 2,000km costs money to get here. Shocking, I know. 😂
Then we get someone complaining that zucchini is too expensive when it has been trucked from down south.
Then we get someone else complaining we do not have enough variety.
Then someone else demands we should be cheaper than the supermarkets.
Now think about that for a second.
Really think about it.
A small family business, paying local farmers fairly, employing local people, paying rent, power, freight, wages, insurance, fuel, packaging, cold rooms and all the other bills that come with keeping fresh food moving,
Is somehow expected to be cheaper than a multi-billion-dollar supermarket corporation?
Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
Shouldn’t the giant corporations with billion-dollar buying power, national freight systems, huge warehouses, imported produce options and massive bargaining power be the ones who can afford to be cheaper?
Not the little local business trying to keep farmers paid properly and fresh food available on your doorstep.
We even had a lady put a $1.70 avocado back on the shelf because she said Coles had them for $1.
And that’s completely her choice.
But that $1.70 avocado is not just an avocado.
It represents a farmer. It represents local food security. It represents food grown closer to home. It represents money staying in our region. It represents a small business trying to build something better than just handing everything over to the big guys.
We are not here to race the supermarkets to the bottom.
We are here to build something that actually supports farmers, feeds families, creates jobs, reduces food miles where possible, and gives people another option.
A real option.
A local option.
A transparent option.
We clearly label where our produce comes from. We do not hide it. If it is Tablelands grown, we say so proudly. If it is from Brisbane Markets, we say that too.
Because this is not about pretending everything is local.
It is about putting local first, being honest, and filling the gaps so customers can still shop with us instead of needing to run straight back to the supermarkets.
Seasonal eating is wonderful. We love it. We believe in it.
But we also live in the real world, where families want apples, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli and all the everyday staples all year round.
So we are doing our best to balance both.
Support local where we can. Source outside the region when we need to. Pay farmers properly. Keep food moving. Keep customers fed. Keep building food security on our doorstep.
That’s what Tablelands to Tabletop is about.
Not perfect.
Not always the cheapest.
But honest, local-first, and working bloody hard to build something that matters. 🌱
