How you can pitch in for bushfire-affected local businesses
Subscribe
X

Get the latest from Beat

15.01.2020

How you can pitch in for bushfire-affected local businesses

Words by D'arcy McGregor

There’s so many different ways we can help those affected by the bushfires.

Feeling hopeless and have no idea how to help the communities ravaged by the bushfires? Yeah, me too. But with so many communities burnt, homes and businesses destroyed, the economy of these towns has been ruined too. Supporting local businesses by buying their produce and products direct means there’s no extra commission fees they have to pay. Here’s just a few businesses affected by the fires you can buy from directly. 

Guerrilla Roasters

The NSW small batch roaster has taken a financial dip. Located in Mossy Point, the roasters are surrounded by and essentially cut off from most of NSW by the fires. These guys raised over $5,000 for the firefighters by giving away free coffee even though their cash flow dropped. Put your caffeine addiction to good use and grab a bag of ethically sourced coffee direct from the roaster’s website.

Hinterland Honey

The family-run Byron Bay business has been decimated by the recent fires. The destruction of hives and bees not only affects honey availability and small business, but also greatly affects the pollination of plants, and therefore food availability and food prices into the future. It will take years for the bush lands to recover and for flowers to re-establish. They don’t currently have a website, but you can message them through their Instagram to purchase products. 

Vinteloper

Like many vineyards in the Adelaide Hills region, Vinteloper was devastated by the SA bushfires. Owner David Bowley lost everything in the fires – his home, business and vineyards are gone. Buying direct from the Vinteloper website means Bowley might be able to rebuild his business. It’s estimated if Bowley can start rebuilding now, it’ll take seven years for the vineyard to grow back to its current state.

North Of Eden

Time for the gin craze to give back to its distillers. The independent micro gin distillery, North Of Eden, in the Bega Valley area, is surrounded by fires. They’ve been unable to continue with business as usual and have had to cancel their events for safety reasons. You can support the local business by grabbing yourself a bottle of gin, or a gin school gift voucher to visit the distillery once it’s safe to do so.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6uonroHM6k/