New salad joint ‘Sante Greens’ opens in Gympie CBD

A brand new joint is turning Gympie’s lunch rush green with hungry patrons queueing out the door for their chance to enjoy the fresh new salad on offer.

The family behind the popular Hatch have doubled down on their success with their new business proving a hit, with hungry customers filling the footpath for a taste.

Poke, based on a traditional Hawaiian dish made up of small sliced fish cuts, has become a wildly popular fresh take-away salad option along the coast of Australia.

A fresh, cold meal perfect for hot weather, caters to all sorts of diets, be it meat, vegetarian, or vegan - whatever your taste preference is.

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Sante Greens is a new salad take-away in Gympie owned by the owners of Hatch Specialty Coffee. Picture: Christine Schindler

Sante Greens offers these guilt-free salad bowls packed with protein, fresh greens, vegetables, delicious sauces and an extra crunch of ingredients like sesame seeds or wasabi chickpeas on a bed of hot rice.

“There’s nowhere in Gympie that caters for vegans or vegetarians and there no healthy takeaway options in Gympie,” co-owner and manager Hope Ward said.

“It has been so busy I think it's definitely something Gympie has needed for a long time.”

Ms Ward and her parents moved to Gympie from England in 2006 and she is now raising her two children in the city.

In April 2021, her father Matt Ward pursued his business dream and opened Hatch coffee on Reef St opposite Memorial Park.

Sante Greens is well and truly the second generation of Hatch, with the family-owned store managed by Mr Ward’s daughter, who opened its doors on October 6, 2023.

The first week they had a line-up almost reaching the corner of Monkland St and during lunch hours the take-away store spills out onto the street.

Hope Ward and her parents (owners of Hatch) have opened up a new salad take-away in Gympie and the city is going wild for it. Picture: Christine Schindler

Ms Ward is passionate about giving Gympie folk a reason to stay out after the school rush and is keeping the doors open til 7pm between Thursday and Saturday, giving more options, especially as the months heat up.

“Where do you go on a hot summer night in Gympie?” she asked.

“You should definitely come and bring your friends or your partner down to have a date, because it's a really nice part of town at night time.”

Sante Greens is just one more store helping to re-vitalise Gympie’s disaster prone main street, bringing back the bustle and life it deserves.

But the CBD’s challenges are far from over and as the Gympie Bypass draws closer to opening, the next questions remains as to whether businesses can find reasons for tourists and travellers up and down the coast to stop by.