By: Vivienne Pearson. Photos: Greg Saunders Photography
It is a challenge for any food business to find suitable commercial premises, especially one that has started as a home- or market-based enterprise. The Byron Food Hub is providing both infrastructure for mico-businesses to expand and also, in Stage 2, providing infrastructure that is attracting established businesses to the region, reversing a trend of businesses leaving the region.
The Byron Food Hub, open since late 2015, has proven to be the right place for five food businesses. Three are taking their first step into commercial premises: Koobideh (Persian food), Farmhouse Foods (sauces, pickles and smokehouse meats), and Byron Bay Alive Foods (fermented foods). Two others have made the move from smaller premises: Naked Byron Foods (dips), and Almond Road (artisan bread). Almond Road was the fifth and final business to move in so the Food Hub is now fully occupied. Cue a celebration!
Organised by Northern Rivers Food (an industry body), a celebration was held last Thursday onsite at the Byron Food Hub. That’s Byron as in ‘shire’, not ‘town’ – the hub is located in the Mullumbimby Industrial Estate. Owned by two locals, Richard Kowalski and Sharon McGrath, it is an innovative development both in concept and design, including vertical gardens to soften the industrial feel, and a fabulous mural.
The concept of having only food businesses co-located is paying off, with the five tenants sharing resources. ‘It’s like having great house neighbours,’ says Pegah Pourkarimi from Koobideh. ‘Except instead of borrowing a cup of sugar, I recently asked to borrow 10 kilograms!’.
All the businesses speak highly of the flexibility Richard and Sharon have shown in custom outfitting the units to best meet each business’s needs – such as Almond Road’s ‘three-deck oven’, which is set up for equal easy access for baking and servicing, and a drive-in loading space for Koobideh for when they cater for huge events in inclement weather.
New businesses are already signing up for Stage 2, which is being planned for around the corner and will feature larger units. Architect Paul Jones and the build team involved in Stage 1 will be able to customise even basic structural features for these businesses.
According to Byron Food Hub owner Richard Kowalski, the appeal of being able to manufacture locally under the Byron brand has resulted in some of the Stage 2 businesses relocating to this area from outside the Shire, bringing employment to the region – something that is definitely worth celebrating!
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