FARMGIRL Produce owner Bindi Rollinson never imagined her passion would grow into something so big.
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Ms Rollinson launched Farmgirl Produce at the Horsham Show in 2015.
The Wimmera has since fallen in love with her recipes that were passed down through five generations of her family.
Ms Rollinson said she “lost herself” two years ago and so she travelled to Egypt, Turkey and Dubai.
It was in the markets were she found herself again.
Being a chef by trade, when she returned home she decided she wanted to “keep her finger in the jar”.
With many inspirational women in her life and inspired by her travels, Farmgirl Produce was born.
“A lot of the recipes are my great grandmother’s that have been passed down to the fifth generation,” she said. “They would be so impressed and proud that their recipes are loved throughout the region.”
The one-woman business has grown quickly across the past two years with “huge corporate support”.
It’s all about putting the region’s produce back on the plate.
- Bindi Rollinson
Ms Rollinson said she was honoured to have Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford present her hampers to people at Parliament House in Melbourne. She said the support from within the region was also fantastic.
“Little towns such as Murtoa, Minyip, Warracknabeal and throughout the Grampians have been so supportive of what I am doing,” she said.
“The marketplace is flooded with local produce and I think you need to have a point of difference … people love the story that I’m fifth generation and still making pickle like Granny use to make it,”
While most of Ms Rollinson’s recipes are from her great grandmother, over time she has created her own.
“Some things that I have made up were inspired from my career and travels – such as the chilli, lime and tequila drizzle,” she said.
Using fresh produce from the region was important to Ms Rollinson.
“I am really old-fashioned so there are no preservatives and no thickening agents,” she said. “It’s important to me that it’s just good quality fruit and vegetables picked straight from the tree. The region has been very supportive and generous where I get quinces, pears, lemons, oranges, plums locally.”
Ms Rollinson said she hoped she could inspire others – just as the women in her family inspired her.
“I want to inspire people to give it a go,” she said.
“Don’t be a package buyer in the supermarkets. You don’t need to be a gourmet chef to make your own dips or season your own chicken.
“It’s all about putting the region’s produce back on the plate.”
She said her next step for Farmgirl Produce was to offer a Taste of the Region.
“It’s similar to a masterclass where I will invite and teach groups of people how to use my produce, get the best out of it and taste it at the end,” she said.