Aussie Aussie Aussie – Australian Made, Australian Grown, Australian Thru & Thru

That’s us!!

It’s Australian Made week.

Everything we do is about fresh Australian food.

Every pot we stir is done by hand.

All of our employees are local yokels.

And we don’t compromise on all-Australian quality. EVER!

Our Australian Food Manufacturing journey began back in 1997.

Jacqui Harvey, Managing Director, lives on the property in downtown Seville – that’s Yarra Valley prime fertile soil territory. It’s red, rich and fabulous for growing quality raw food – the stuff that’s made of gold in the food manufacturing business.

As Jacqui says often to our clientele,

“We would never use fruit and veg from overseas – NEVER!

Not even to fill in the seasonal gaps in Australian supply chains. NUP! The fruit and vegetables we have access to right here in our gorgeous Yarra Valley and surrounds generally dictates what we make at Yarra Valley Gourmet Foods.

While Yarra Valley Gourmet Foods is a commercial manufacturing business, there’s an obvious difference between a chef working in a restaurant and a chef working in a commercial food prep and bottling facility like ours. However, much of the required skills and knowledge is the same. We’re not a mass producer, so we don’t buy-in liquid tomato. So, yes, unlike lots of other food manufacturers, …

We’re actually still prepping fruit and veg from real fruit and veg.

I think the difference is we’re in that nice spot… we’re still a hands-on, handmade, using real fresh food that we’re chopping to then cook into a tomato relish that we bottle, and that very bottle lands on a shelf for our customers somewhere kind of business.

As we like to remind people, while the world is hell-bent on inflicting weapons of mass production on the simplest of fresh foods, we take a more hands-on approach with our Yarra Valley Preserves brand…

We take fresh and simple to create special and delicious.”

To Jacqui, the whole concept of developing the business has been about championing Australia…

“I live, breathe and love my Yarra Valley.

I wake up early morning, and right there in front of me is the sometimes misty Valley and, off in the distance, the Yarra Ranges. But it’s more than a stunning view, it’s an ever-changing, seasonal environment that makes you feel part of it. And there’s this need to be proactive about doing your bit to look after it.

Like me, my Yarra Valley Gourmet Foods team live locally. Our staffing was also built on part-time parents… everybody lives pretty close by, and they love it, because it’s Monday to Friday, not weekend work. Less travel, home earlier.

I was lucky, too, to get chefs through the COVID debacle, when they were forced out of work from their hospitality jobs.

And as we’ve grown and grown, Yarra Valley Gourmet Foods has remained part of the local community. Yes we want skilled workers. But to be honest, we start by first hiring on attitude and someone who’s going to fit in with the team and the culture, and then train the skills later.”

Asked what would team members say if someone asked them what they like about working here?

Jacqui replied,

“Well, I would hope they would say they love the camaraderie. We do have fun. We do a lot of activities outside of the workplace, everybody gets on well, and I think they all feel proud of what we’re building together – and we don’t have to deal with city traffic! Home takes on a new meaning for our staff – it’s close to their home and their hearts in more ways than one.”

We’d love to thank our customers, suppliers, providores, specialty food stores and online shop buyers for all of their support. Being Australian means something different to each person in a unique way, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for all of us.