Buying Certified Organic food in North East Melbourne

If you want to eat food that was locally grown or made, you have lots of choices. If you want to eat Certified Organic food, you again have lots of choices. But if you want to eat food that is both local and Certified Organic then, at least in North East Melbourne, your choices are very limited. In this context, this article essentially provides a number of lists organised under the following headings:

• Local Certified Organic food producers.
• Local sources of non-local Certified Organic produce.
• Not certified but ….

Local Certified Organic food producers

I am aware of only 5 Certified Organic food producers in North East Melbourne, namely:

• Australian Harvest / Bio Grape (vinegars, mustards, jams, chutneys, sauces and fruit pastes).
• Hildebrand Ridge Organic Vineyard (wine).
• Organic Times (chocolate).
• Petty’s Orchard (apples).
• Sure Things (garlic).

Local sources of non-local Certified Organic produce

Shops

There are lots of shops around North East Melbourne which sell Certified Organic produce. For example, within 10Km of Eltham, there are 4 such: Dynamic Vegies (Eltham); The Natural Food Market (Montmorency); Organic Fix (Eltham); and Yarra Organics (Templestowe).

Perhaps the most well known shop is Terra Madre (Northcote) – a truly wonderful shop.

Farmers’ markets

Most farmers’ markets will have a number of Certified Organic stallholders.

Of particular note are those stalls which sell a full range of vegetables. These include:

• Baw Baw Organics: at Abbotsford Convent Farmers’ Market.
• Spring Creek Organics: at Carlton Farmers’ Market and Fairfield Farmers’ Market.

Home delivery

Finally, there are a number of local organisations who will deliver Certified Organic produce to your home, including:

• Kew Organics (Kew).
• Organic Angels (Box Hill).
• Organic Empire (Mt Evelyn).

Click here to see which if these will deliver to your suburb/postcode.

Not certified but …

Certified Organic ingredients

A few of the producers in the Local Food Directory say that basically all the ingredients in their products are Certified Organic:

• Old Evropa (bread).
• Yarra Coffee (coffee).

Other

• Sugarloaf Produce (vegetables) say that they effectively abide by the Certified Organic standards.
• Top Hundred Acres (eggs).