Flood of support for #BuyFromTheBush

The campaign to support Australia’s drought-affected communities is going to strength to strength.

Rebecca Loughridge and Gretchen Thorburn have started using the hashtag "buyfromthebush" in their shop Hen's Teeth Trading at Cobram. Photo: DANNIKA BONSER

The '#BuyFromTheBush' campaign is ramping up, and now tech giant PayPal has announced a partnership with the campaign to help support Australian communities facing drought.

The partnership, launched Tuesday, will involve a new online gifting portal for Australians to do their Christmas shopping from over 20 small rural businesses.

PayPal Australia executive Danielle Grant said many of the featured businesses rely on farming communities to keep them afloat, which has been challenging in recent months due to the devastating impact of the drought.

She said many of the businesses involved have reported a significant increase in sales over the last month which has allowed them to buy new stock for the busy festive season.

“While the #BuyFromTheBush campaign has already been a huge success, we wanted to create a gifting portal which extends the reach of the movement and makes it even easier for Aussies to discover one-of-a-kind-gifts," she said.

“Our mission this Christmas is to help Aussies give something special from somewhere special, so there’s a little more joy all round. We’re really excited to launch the #BuyFromTheBush portal on PayPal’s website today because every purchase made with businesses on the platform will support our rural communities, many of which have been impacted by the drought.”

The #BuyFromTheBush founder Grace Brennan said she launched the campaign to encourage city dwellers to buy from small, rural businesses that have been impacted by the drought.

"There are so many hidden treasures in our regional communities and I wanted to show Australians the range of unique and beautiful brands that are out there," she said.

“I am thrilled to be working with PayPal to drive even more awareness about the movement and I look forward to hearing the success stories from the businesses involved. The beauty of the online gifting portal is that it shows how many of our growing rural businesses are just a click away and all Australians can do their bit to support our rural communities by shopping from the bush.”

Meanwhile Lucy Moss, Owner of Mink and Me in Coonamble, NSW said running a business in the country is fulfilling but it also comes with its challenges.

"This year has been tough for us and we have definitely felt the impacts of the drought. We were so excited when #BuyFromTheBush launched and after being featured we saw an 105 per cent increase in sales from same period last year.

"This meant that we could purchase new stock for the busy festive season and drive even more sales which would not have been able to do otherwise."