The Flame Tree Community Food Co-op in Thirroul has gone online to continue to provide its service to the Illawarra community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The not-for-profit organisation supports local farmers and producers and helps cut down on waste while providing local, bulk and organic groceries to the community.
Run by two managers and around 50 volunteers the co-op closed briefly when coronavirus restrictions were introduced but quickly came up with a new way to do things. The shopfront is smaller than a typical supermarket so it was decided the most responsible thing to do was to shut the doors and go online.
Volunteers worked tirelessly on the new system and were able to get Flame Tree back up and running for online orders only at www.flametree.coop within a week.
The new process is customers place an order online. Then volunteers pick and pack the order that is then be picked up at the door.
Customers can get everything from bulk produce such as rice, flour and muesli to fresh locally produced vegetables, fresh bread and even toilet paper.
Volunteers involved have described it as incredibly impressive and heartwarming to see the community band together to ensure the co-op can continue to run during the pandemic.
Assistant manager Susan Luscombe said the volunteer run member-owned cooperative has operated in Thirroul for 10 years and it the present location at 355 Lawrence Hargrave Drive for two.
People in the community can apply to become a member of the not-for-profit organisation and be entitled to a 10 per cent discount. But you don't have to be a member to shop at the co-op.
"We are open at the moment for pick- up only but we are looking at a delivery service that we hope to get up and running pretty soon," Mrs Luscombe said.
Flame Tree only orders as much food as it can move. But it was difficult to estimate that when it first went online. The co-op's low waste ethos also applies to packaging.
"In a normal situation before COVID-19 people would bring their own containers in, fill them and pay for the product they want. There was no minimum amount," Mrs Luscombe said.
"But in the online environment we can't accept peoples' recycled containers. So we are using new glass containers which customers can then reuse once we go back to normal.
"We support local businesses as much as we can with ethically sourced products that are as local as we can possibly get. With dry goods like spices, rice, tea and flour they can buy whatever quantity they want and it will come in a paper bag. Liquid items will come in a jar or a bottle in a set amount but they can get multiple jars or bottles to increase the amount".
Mrs Luscombe said the co-op has enjoyed a good response to going online.
"We were blown away the first week it happened. Everyone has adjusted and it is has settled down into a nice steady pace now. We would like to continue to be that community hub we have always been. The shop has always had a nice community feel".
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