Victoria lockdown: No tourists to eat Rayner’s Orchard fruit

Trees laden with unpicked fruit are a sad sight on a Woori Yallock orchard, while other producers have been run off their feet during the pandemic.

Len Rayner’s orchard has struggled without tourism visitors. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

YARRA Valley fruit grower Len Rayner often saw up to 1200 visitors arrive at the family farm to taste some of the 450 varieties of fruit they grew.

He and wife, Heather, had a staff of 25 and life was good at their boutique fruit business, Rayner’s Orchard at Woori Yallock.

Len Rayner has never worked this hard in his whole career. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

These days, there are only five employees and business is via click and collect and fruit deliveries in the Yarra Ranges and Melbourne Eastern suburbs.

“We had a wonderful business with lots of Asian tourists mainly from Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam coming to enjoy our fruit tree tours but that suddenly changed with Covid,” he said.

“Now at the age of 73, I have never worked harder in my life.”

Mr Rayner says he has no superannuation and had used his life savings to prop up their business in the hope things would improve.

“Although we will never go hungry, I am fed up with these lockdowns and restrictions and want Daniel Andrews to rethink things – we have got to open up.”

Mr Rayner says state premiers all need to work together to work out a plan to reopen.

“I am very sorry for all the businesses that have collapsed and won’t open again – it is heartbreaking,” he says.

The Rayners purchased the property 40 years ago and planted fruit trees creating a successful business with pick your own fruit, a 200-seat cafe and on-farm tours.

Three generations are often working in the business.

“Some days we would have up to six buses arrive and everyone loved the experience of seeing fruit grown on the trees and tasting different varieties,” he said.

Mr Rayner says in 40 years he’s had some challenging times in business with frost wiping out crops, but never anything like this.

Melanie and Rob Whyte in their olive grove near Rutherglen.

GOORAMADDA OLIVES

Rob and Melanie Whyte of Gooramadda Olives, an award-winning olive grove and retail store, near Rutherglen, supplied olives to restaurants and developed an agritourism business.

But these days that’s all on hold until restaurants reopen, and visitors return.

It’s now click and collect and an online shop.

“We developed a real on farm experience and of course you miss that with online orders,” Mr Whyte said.

“Still, we look at this as a chance to catch up on things and strengthen our relationships with restaurants and vendors so that when things pick up we will be in a good position.

“We were often run off our feet and often wouldn’t have lunch till 4pm because we had so many people calling in, so at least we get a lunch hour now.”

Mr Whyte said revenue was down by 50 per cent or more and it was a good day when an online order popped up.

“We always enjoyed the interaction with our customers who called in and we provided an experience for them where they learnt about our olives.”

While the Whytes said they would still expect challenges next year, they are hopeful things will improve as borders reopen.

The couple “escaped” from Sydney living a decade ago and have 900 olive trees including 10

varieties.

Erin O’Callaghan established her organic vegetable and egg business, RAD Growers at Bungowannah, near Albury, seven years ago.

RAD GROWERS

Across the Victorian-NSW Border, Erin O’Callaghan established her organic vegetable and egg business, RAD Growers at Bungowannah, near Albury, seven years ago.

Despite the challenges of lockdown, Ms O’Callaghan said they had done well since Covid struck.

“We have been well supported by locals who purchase our produce at the Albury Wodonga Farmers’ Market and with the delivery of vegie boxes,” she said.

“I have been fortunate to choose a career and business model that has worked well in these times.

“Customers have been doing a lot of cooking during lockdowns and want good fresh vegetables.”

Ms O’Callaghan has recently purchased another block to expand plantings following ecological practices.

She has 300 chickens and delivers vegetable boxes and eggs locally.

Greta Donaldson runs Bendigo Brittle and has seen business increase 100 per cent since the pandemic started.

BENDIGO BRITTLE

Greta Donaldson has seen her business, Bendigo Brittle, increase 100 per cent since the pandemic started.

The former Melbourne public relations executive was making delicious brittle in her spare time and wanted a change from the corporate world after 20 years.

She took the plunge and moved to Bendigo in 2015 and started selling her product.

“Things were going well pre-Covid as I was selling at regional and some city markets then when it hit, everything slowed down, but my online sales increased dramatically,” she said.

“We have gone from operating as a local business to operating as a national business in the space of 12 months, without doubt due to Covid.”

Ms Donaldson said she was inspired by the recipe given to her by her late grandmother Norma Roulston, from Toolleen near Elmore, Victoria. “The brittle was always a huge hit, but I tinkered with the recipe a little to make it a bit saltier.”

She makes peanut, macadamia and cashew brittle and has just added pistachio to the list. “I’ve collaborated with local pistachio farmer, Fye Wan from Wedderburn, one hour north of Bendigo in Loddon Shire, where my dad’s family are from,” she said.

Ms Donaldson said her friends joke that she’s gone from “PR to peanuts” but she couldn’t be happier.

Her mother, Shirley and niece Mikala McNeill help her, along with two teams of locals. “I am so grateful for the wonderful support I have received from locals, it’s been amazing,” she said.

“It’s a modern take on an old favourite and makes people feel good, which is especially important these days — it goes into a lot of care parcels,” she said.

Bendigo Brittle sells in 10 Victorian IGA Supermarkets and online.

Carmel and Brett Masterson run Springmount Fine Foods. Picture: Chloe Smith

SPRINGMOUNT FINE FOODS

Carmel and Brett Masterson, who created Springmount Fine Foods in 2015, have taken time out in Covid lockdowns to plan the future.

“We have been busy catching up on things and looking ahead,” said Carmel, who moved to regional Victoria with her family, to escape city living, six years ago.

The couple and their daughters, Tia and Kate, live on 2ha at Springmount, between Daylesford and Ballarat. Sick of urban life, they took a new direction, bought land and started growing garlic to produce black garlic, sauces, vinaigrettes and pastes.

Over the years they have won awards at the Australian Food Awards, the Royal Sydney Fine Food Show and the Royal Hobart Fine Food Show. They now grow 25,000 heads of garlic, which is then slow roasted to create a sweet, soft caramelised texture, now popular with home cooks and chefs. “We consider ourselves very lucky, we live in a beautiful country area and there’s always plenty to do so we don’t get bored,” Carmel said. “We also work as a team and when one gets a bit down due to lockdowns, the other boosts you up. Our business has grown consistently over the years, and we are ready for the next step — looking at supplying Melbourne shops.

“We are optimistic things will improve.”

Michael Ryan, at Provenance restaurant, with his homemade liqueurs. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

PROVENANCE

Award-winning restaurateur Michael Ryan of Beechworth’s Provenance has turned his talents to producing cocktail bitters and after-dinner aperitifs.

Ryan started Beechworth Bitters last year during Victoria’s second lockdown, when he was looking for something to do with the restaurant closed.

“I had some bittering botanicals and I had been planning on experimenting with them for a while, so it was a great opportunity,” he said.

He now produces five types of amari – the name for Italy’s bitter drinks often consumed as after-dinner digestifs, which can be drunk over ice or with a mixer.

Ryan’s botanicals are a little different to the traditional ones – he’s put his own spin on his concoctions using extracts from the High Country. He has about 120 different alcoholic extractions made from roots, leaves and bark, plus citrus, flowers, woody spices like cinnamon, vegetables and native herbs. He mixes them to produce his digestifs.

His first batch of amari and yuzucello made 900 500ml bottles, and the next batch was increased by 50 per cent.

A background in science and many years in a kitchen added up to the perfect experience to make the range of craft liqueurs.

His amari has been ordered by well-known restaurants including Melbourne’s Gimlet, Embla, Bar Liberty, Capitano, Pilot in
Canberra, and Agnes in Brisbane. It’s available in his restaurant and online via a sign-up newsletter.

Mr Ryan launched an initial range of five in apothecary-style 500ml bottles.

“I have enjoyed making the extracts during the lockdowns and it’s helped the cash flow,” he said.

In between lockdowns, Mr Ryan said he had never been as busy, with diners keen to leave the city behind and head to the country.

“We are just hoping that when lockdowns lift it will happen again and domestic tourism will bounce back,” he said.

Falls Creek cafe and bar owner Jaye Fatchen has launched Snowflake Gin to generate some income during the pandemic shutdowns.

SNOWFLAKE GIN

Snowflake Gin is Jaye Fatchen’s latest effort to generate some income at her Falls Creek restaurant, Milch Cafe Bar.

Ms Fatchen said she had been thinking about making gin between lockdowns but had hoped the winter snow season would be busy.

“It was looking good for a great season but then lockdowns struck again and I knew we had to do something so started gin production,” she said.

“The Snowflake Gin is a tribute to Falls Creek and has some secret ingredients plus snowflakes.”

It is also made with home grown botanicals including lemon balm, rose geranium and alpine pepperberry, which Ms Fatchen grows at her Tawonga property.

Snowflake Gin is the first of three gins associated with sister business, the Mountain Gin Company.

“It is early days but I have enjoyed making it and hopefully it will help financially when it goes into full production,” she said.

Ms Fatchen said the season had been devastating for Falls Creek businesses that had lost so much money.

“I’m not talking thousands, I’m talking hundreds of thousands – it could have been such a good season – everyone was set and it would have been so busy – it’s terrible,” she said.

After the bushfires, Ms Fatchen set up an online store selling “bushfire brownies” and other baked treats and products. She also makes beauty products including salt rubs and moisturisers which are available online. The Snowflake Gin can be ordered on the Mountain Gin website.

Ballarat local and former MasterChef contestant Tim Bone runs Tim's Toasties, selling at farmers' markets. During lockdown, he has done direct deliveries on Saturdays and had huge customer support.

TIM’S TOASTIES

There is no doubt 2019 MasterChef contestant Tim Bone could have won hordes of loyal foodie fans if he had launched his gourmet toasted sandwiches van in Melbourne.

The Ballarat local decided to stay put in the regional town, however, and has no regrets — customers have lined up religiously for Tim’s toasties, ever since he opened for business.

Ballarat, he says, now competes with the state capital as a dining destination.

“We have come a long way, even in the last five years, with the emergence of our wonderful cafe culture,” Tim said.

The up-and-coming cook’s business — Tim’s Toasties — built a strong following selling at the city’s popular farmers’ markets, but took a hit when Covid-lockdown rules banned hot-food stallholders.

“Toasties, as delicious as they are, are not exactly essential,” Tim said. “I had to think outside the box in terms of how I could still get my toasties out there.”

Tim’s business remained afloat by shifting to online orders for home delivery.

“Local support from the Ballarat community with those toasties has been overwhelming,” he said. “I’ve sold out every Saturday.”

He’s confident diners will return when lockdowns allow, but hopes it is soon enough to save other hospitality operators. “This going in and out of lockdowns in regional Victoria has tested a lot of businesses’ resolve,” he said. “There is no doubt the hospitality industry is feeling the pain.”

He anticipates spring in Ballarat could reverse fortunes. “I can’t wait to be in the CBD of Ballarat, with lots of people outside, eating and chatting and supporting our hospitality industry once again,” he said.