Box Divvy Medowie - Boyd

14/05/2025

In Retail world.

Community-led models challenge grocery stores

Our podcast ‘Unsupermarket’ hit the news Retail World a leading digital publication dedicated to the latest trends, insights, and innovations in the global retail industry. It was about Box Divvy and the Interview with Hon Andrew Leigh.

At Box Divvy, “One that prioritises transparency, reduces waste, and strengthens connections between people and producers.”

https://retailworldmagazine.com.au/community-led-models-challenge-grocery-stores/

HomeNews NewsRetail News Community-led models challenge grocery stores By itsupport April 30, 2025 0 474 FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsApp A new episode of Unsupermarket, the podcast by community food network Box Divvy, features a conversation with Assistant Minister for Competition Andrew Leigh MP,....

14/05/2025

Raw C Coconut Water: No Raw Deal

The nice people at Raw C called us this week: we have 6 more pallets with Raw C Pure Coconut water with a Best Before Date of 6 May 2025. You want to take them? Otherwise they’ll go to landfill. Sure, we’ll take them. Best Before Dates don’t faze us: most products last well beyond it. Usually, it’s a trick played by manufacturers to make sure the retail channel doesn’t get clogged up. But the consequence is that many perfectly fine products end up in landfill. This is not sustainable.

Anyhow, here they are: 75c a bottle (RRP $3.50), or $12 for a whole box of 24 bottles. That’s 50c a bottle. Crazy. We tried some, and they were fine. We then gave one to each of the packers: no complaints. So we’re pretty sure they're good (but hey, if you think they're past it, return them to your Hubster for a full refund).

14/05/2025

Honest to Goodness Balsamic Vinegar and Apple Cider Vinegar

Honest to Goodness are over-stocked in the vinegar department – so we’re helping them move some stock at a nearly 60% discount:
• Organic balsamic vinegar in a 500ml bottle that they normally sell for $12.95 has been reduced to $5.50 a bottle
• Organic apple cider vinegar 500ml normally sells for $8.95 a bottle, but at Box Divvy they’ll be $3.75
Limit: 2 bottles per member.

13/05/2025

Celery

Manuel Xerri has started picking celery. You recall last year’s exuberant bunches? Well, they’re back - big enough to share with neighbours. And he’s got acres full of them. So he’s telling us to sell them at $2 a pop. They’re $3.50 in Coles, and that’s a special!

12/05/2025

Divvy Deals
Box Divvy presents Divvy Deals: a weekly series of Dazzlingly Delicious Dynamite that goes off with a bang.

For great deals.

12/05/2025

How was your Mother’s Day?

By the time you read this, Mother’s Day has come & gone.

Either way, we promised that the Shepherd’s croissants and gluten-free slices would be available for 2 weeks to accommodate those members who order fortnightly. Having said that, if you had some last week, we won’t blame you if you helped yourself to another box. They freeze well, and it’s going to be a long stretch till Father’s Day…

11/05/2025

Market Update

We didn’t have time for a market update last week, and yes: we heard you! So here we go:

In fruit, berries are finished – until Queensland starts up next month. Local kiwis are replaced with (still expensive) NZ fruit, and bananas are stubbornly dear. That’s the bad news.
The good news: apples and pears are at their peak, and will stay there for a while. Josephine pears are $2 a kilo, so knock yourself out! Papaya, pineapple and especially passionfruit are good value – same passionfruit grower as last week, with a few rain blemishes but the pulp is sensational.

Lemons are still tight, but Imperial mandarins are good value – especially by the 9kg box (around $2.30 a kilo). This week, they’re selling alongside the super-juicy Satsuma mandarins. In other citrus news, Valencias are out, and Navels are in (and cheaper than last week).

In vegetables, beans are still tight but snow peas and sugarsnap are easing in price. Broccoli, broccolini, cabbages, cauliflowers, zucchini, kale, potatoes, pumpkin, carrots and most leafy greens are good value.

Dutch carrots and English spinach are both well under $3. However, there is a supply gap opening up for capsicums, Lebanese cucumber and tomatoes. The Queensland season has been delayed by about a month due to heavy rains back in February and March that have delayed planting.

But our biggest headache is mushrooms. Most of this week, we’ve been either cut back – or received literally zip. And next week ain’t looking any better. Apparently, a couple of farms in South Australia are out of action whilst waiting for a critical supply of substrate. Obviously, the supply situation has been tight for a while, so it didn’t take much to tip the market over the edge. We’re hoping Swiss Browns will still be available, but we’re not confident. Other than that, we will have ongoing supply of specialty mushrooms - shiitake, Shimeji, King Oyster and Lion’s Mane – but we’re just not sure if we can balance supply and demand…at least for now. We’re hopeful that we can tap some alternative sources over the next few weeks.

On the brighter side: we seem to be getting enough free-range eggs to fill all orders, even with the limit raised to 2 cartons. Let’s hope we can keep it that way.

11/05/2025

New at Box Divvy this week

New products in Chilled and Pantry this week:
• Meredith goat’s cheese. The 80g packs normally sell for $4.57 - $4.80. However, as a special introduction, they will be $4 a pack. They’re $5.50 in Colesworth.
• In addition to the 80g packs, we’ll also have marinated goat cheese from Meredith.
• Belicious OneSpice – Fine Garlic Granules 40g will sell for $5.98.

Meredith Goat’s Cheese

Meredith Farm arguably makes one of the best goat cheeses in Australia. The farm is located an hour west of Melbourne, and is family-owned and run.
If you’ve never tasted goat cheese in your life, then try this one: it does not taste ‘goaty’ whatsoever. It’s creamy, tangy and clean tasting – and goes with anything.
To encourage you to try it out, we are ranging an 80g trial pouch for just $4 – a 27% discount versus Colesworth where it sells for $5.50. It’s available in Plain and Dill.

Chevre Plain - Original 80g
Original goat’s cheese is a fresh milk goats’ cheese, seasoned with a pinch of salt. The cheese is naturally fermented, giving it a fresh acidity that compliments its mild goat milk flavour. Use in soufflés, pizzas, salads, antipasto, in pasta or just on a biscuit with smoked salmon, capers, tomatoes. This plain Chevre cheese exhibits a clean fresh almost citric tang. There are no apparent strong goat flavours, and it has a mild saltiness. The texture is soft. Ingredients Goat’s Milk, Salt, Cultures and Non-Animal Rennet. Made in Australia.

Chevre Dill 80g
Dill goat’s cheese is a fresh milk goats’ cheese, seasoned with a pinch of salt and fresh dill. It has a sweet herb taste, mild saltiness but no apparent strong goat flavours. Ingredients: Goat’s Milk, Fresh Dill (1.5%), Salt, Cultures and Non-Animal Rennet. Made in Australia.

11/05/2025

Belicious OneSpice – Fine Garlic Granules

We started talking to Bel about Garlic Flakes around the middle of 2024. After trialling – and rejecting – several contenders, she has finally settled on these ‘fine granules’. They are made from …garlic. Add them to absolutely everything and anything: omelettes, soups, steak, casseroles, chicken, cauliflower cheese sauce, cupcakes…eh, ok perhaps not literally everything. But you get our drift: garlic granules are versatile, convenient – no peeling and squeezing garlic toes – and add depth of flavour to many dishes.
And when Bel says she’s happy with the result, you’d better believe it.

10/05/2025

Purpose in Retirement – why not start a Box Divvy Hub?
In ‘Have a Go News’ a fabulous story on starring our very own Denise and Stuart, Hubsters in Bowral.

“We moved from the Sutherland Shire for a quieter life and found Bowral had the lifestyle we were looking for,” says Denise. “But retirement can be isolating. Box Divvy gives us real social contact, keeps us active, and means we’re doing something that matters — not just couch surfing.”

Read here https://www.haveagonews.com.au/news/purpose-in-retirement/

Denise, 75, and Stuart, 77, didn’t expect that running a local fresh produce Hub would become one of the highlights of their retirement.

07/05/2025

Green tea anyone? Anyone?

Drinking green tea burns fat: myth or true?

Answer: mostly myth, but with a kernel of truth, according to this article. “Caffeine – which is found in green tea – in relatively high doses has, in some circumstances, been shown to increase fat oxidation”. This releases hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline that mobilise energy stores. Coffee will do the trick as well.

However, “(…) it’s a very small amount, and the research isn’t great – it’s definitely not something that you’d recommend relying on if somebody is trying to change their body composition.”
In the same vein, some diets claim that eating grapefruit burns fat. Whilst they are a healthy fruit, the claim is a myth.

07/05/2025

Sunrice Rice Cups

Have you ever tried these? Sunrice Rice Cups: they're great if you're in a hurry. Just microwave for 40 seconds and you're done. In the supermarkets, they sell for $3.50 - $4 per twin pack – but at Box Divvy, this week's Divvy Deal: $2 per twin pack, available in Chicken-Style, Teriyaki and Brown Rice. Limit: 2 per member.

We checked out the ingredients and nutritional profile, and they turn out better than expected. The plastic cup is made partly from recycled plastic, and can itself be recycled. Having said that, it’s unlikely we will ever include these in our regular range – in part because they are normally quite expensive, and still more wasteful than we’re comfortable with. The only reason why we’ve taken them on as a one-off is because they have an August Use-By Date, which is too short for the regular retail channel. They would otherwise be destined for landfill, and we hate food waste!