Belinda and Olive Tree Providores

What initially drew you in to the world that is now known as Olive Tree Providores

I decided my passion for food and healthy lifestyle could also be a business that supported local farmers.

Olive oil also has amazing health benefits and Australia produces some of the world's best, so Olive Oil Providores was born out of a love of local food and a boredom with the conventional corporate business principles.

Why markets?

Because they are the best place to meet our customers and build a relationship with them.  I also detest the major supermarket manipulation of local farmers and growers, so I was keen to support an alternate place for growers to sell and market their produce.

Obviously market shoppers attend for varying reasons including promoting the Buy Australian mantra.  What other ways do you think this message can be given either overtly or by other means

We should encourage our friends and family to shop from sustainable and environmentally sound sources.  Big corporate supermarkets are none of those.  We simply have to encourage everyone we (personally) know to shop locally for fresh healthy food and by doing that we automatically help farmers build and maintain a sustainable business.

The more we enthuse the principle, the more it will happen and the more we protect our environment.

Do you have any new additions on the horizon that we can look forward to

Yes, we are about to launch a whole new range which we are very excited about which should be ready by Christmas.  The new range takes the "shop local" to an  entirely new level......so stay tuned!!!!

it ain't new but it's so yummy we simply could not NOT include it

What 5 words would you use to encourage conversion to not only organic but more importantly to buy Australian

Future proofing a sustainable future for all  (a little more than 5 words) plus it's a fantastic place to meet really friendly people!

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And on that note we thank Belinda, not only for having an amazing range of oils, soaps and dukka each week at market, but more importantly her determination to encourage everyone (and by that we mean everyone!) to shop and buy local 

Facebook Peeps We LOVE you too!

In this hustle and bustle busy world in which we live, it's great to have some "down" time on a Sunday where you can simply "be".

The numbers of shoppers increase every week, as do our "likers" (which by our reckoning will have already increased by the time we publish this blog)

and so do your comments and photos that you share on our page so we figured why not give you a snapshot of what comments that are made as means of saying "thank you" to you, our most important customer!

So keep them likes on the increase (which you can do "here"), keep those feet a pounding on a Sunday and buy up big...remember it's the producers who are there week in and week out and trust us, they absolutely appreciate your support as do we!

5 minutes with Aimee

When did you first discover Frenchs Forest Market and what is it that keeps you coming back

I first discovered Frenchs Forest Market when I moved over from Perth.  As a Health Coach it is important for both myself and my clients to have access to fresh, high quality organic produce and to follow the pathway from farm to market.

I especially love the atmosphere, the community spirit and the coming together of people who truly care about what they are putting into their bodies.  

I also appreciate the time, effort and love that all the stallholders express each week. Their smiles, knowledge and eagerness to share their produce with customers is awesome.

Can you describe in layman's terms the definitions of "super food", "living food" and "super herbs" and how they can play a pivotal role in our overall wellbeing

Superfoods are foods that pack an extra nutritional punch.  They have a dozen or more distinguishing qualities that give them magical qualities and an ability to nourish us at a deeper level.  These are foods that supercharge our health.

Living foods are foods in their natural unprocessed, unheated from.  Foods of the Earth, that are not cooked,  modified or nutritionally deficient through processing.

Living (or raw) foods are foods the way nature intended.  When we increase our intake of these foods, we too become more alive - our ability to digest and process our foods is enhanced, because we're eating our food the way nature intended.  Living food include fruits, vegetables, grasses, seeds, sea vegetables, nuts and sprouts.

Superherbs are plants that are safe to take as a tonic, to help us maintain and prevent disease.  No longer do we need to wait until we get ill to "fix" the problem.  By incorporating Superherbs into our daily diet, by taking medicine as food, we are able to ensure we never get sick.

If you had to choose a particular stall that you simply can't not go by without purchasing something, which would it be and why

My favourite stall is Superfeast.  It is the one stop Superfood shop!

Mason Tyler has a wealth of knowledge in regards to Superfoods, Superherbs and Living Foods and is always happy to answer any questions related to health and wellbeing.

From your point of view, why is it essential for markets such as Frenchs Forest to keep on keeping on

Markets such as Frenchs Forest help consumers maintain a true connection to the land. They allow children to see where food comes from, how it's grown and how it should look, with the absence of artificial lighting, bright packaging and fancy marketing.

Markets also help farmers to discover what their customers are looking for and provide them with cheaper prices as they are dealing without the middle man.

It's a win/win.  It also keeps large industries from being able to monopolise our food supply.

If you could sum up the overall experience of not only shopping at Frenchs Forest but also making it a constant in our lives in on paragraph, what would it be

A day spent at Frenchs Forest Market is the best Sunday ever.  With such a variety of produce to experiment with, amazing people to visit and friendly faces to chat with, it is one of the best ways I like to spend my weekend.  I always come home with my staples: biodynamic berries, raw honey, superfoods, kombucha, freshly picked mushrooms, fresh organic produce and something else I didn't expect to buy!

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And with that we say thank you to Aimee for not only sharing some of her love, but also explaining the "mystery" behind the Superfood, Living Food, Superherbs.  Keep your eyes open cause we will be doing a feature with Aimee very soon which will go in to more detail about these and so much more!

5 questions with Arlingtons

Can you give us a little bit of history as to the beginnings of what is now a Northern Beaches Legend known as Arlington's

Arlington's started out as a fruit & veg/gourmet food store in Seaforth 23 years ago. During this time the brains of the operation (Peter Arlington) created a range of yummy hommus dips to sell at the shop.

The demand grew to the point that we were supplying other shops around Sydney and the range or products grew to include tapioca & yoghurt.

With the huge workload something had to give and we eventually sold the shopfront 3 years ago.  And we haven't looked back since.....

So how long have Arlington's marketeers at Frenchs Forest 

At least 4 years

From personal experience, we know that you can't simply stop at buying just "one". What has been the biggest turnover of a single item in a single market day

Thai Chilli Lime Hommus wins every time at both (yep, luckily for the Inner Westies Arlington's also do our Orange Grove Market every Saturday)....especially at Christmas!

Do you have a personal fave amongst al the delights, or are you continually looking for new and fabulous yummies to keep us on our toes

Our range is very extensive at the moment, so nothing new on the horizon at this point. A personal fave would have to be the Belgian Chocolate Mousse as a guilty pleasure.

How would you sum up life as a Frenchs Forest Market stallie

Great friendships with other stallies and loving chatting with the regulars 

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Ain't no doubt about it!  Every week they are here, rain hail or shine.  Every week with a smile and every week they sell out of just about everything.  

So what's YOUR personal fave we wonder?