Producers given chance at market access

WA farmers have the opportunity to gain supermarket shelf access with their produce as Coles Australia looks for new and exciting products to offer its WA customers.

Coles’ team of expert food buyers have organised its first virtual ‘Meet the Buyer’ event on March 18 in which WA producers will be asked why their product should be on the supermarket’s shelves.

Coles WA general manager Pat Zanetti said the event would provide WA producers of all sizes with a great opportunity to show why their product should be on Coles shelves, alongside hundreds of WA-produced products already stocked,

“Our customers tell us they love seeing local products in our stores, so we’re lucky that WA has some of the most exceptional farmers, producers and food manufacturers in the country,” he said.

“We’re already a big supporter of the Australian agriculture industry, with 96 per cent of our fresh produce sourced from Australian producers and the vast majority of our Own Brand products grown and made in Australia.”

Narrogin food producers Three Farmers met Coles’ buyers at Coles’ first ‘Meet the Buyer’ event in 2012 and now supply quinoa to Coles across Australia.

Three Farmers co-owner Ashley Wiese said the ‘Meet the Buyer’ event had kick-started a partnership with Coles and spurred growth in their business.

In 2015, the business was awarded a $500,000 grant from the Coles Nurture Fund to build the first quinoa processing plant in mainland Australia and the following year the business began supplying quinoa to Coles.

“To be able to go to our local Coles – or any Coles in Australia – and see our product on the shelves is a dream come true,” Mr Wiese said.

To find out more, email meetthebuyer@coles.com.au.