Time to say THANK YOUUUUUU

Jelena

Dilis

Julia

Anastasia

Austyn

Savannah PR

homeland

keenwah

5 Questions with Putrino's front man Erkut

When did Putrino's make their debut at Frenchs Froest Markets

G & M Putrino have been here for around 10 years and for me personally, I have been here for about 4 years

number one fan!

Not only is your produce totally delicious, you are constantly busy which is excellent for any stallholder.  What is about being part of the market community that separates it from a retail outlet or a supermarket chain.

Always having loads quality fresh produce at hand and loads of people each with their unique personality

As your produce grows so does your stall size. From set up to packdown, from picking up produce to arriving at market.  It is not a life for the faint-hearted.  When does your day actually start and after all is said and done, what time do you finally get home and put your feet up to relax.

Very early start leaving home at 3am, then its off to the farm to collect the truck which is packed with market produce

Whatever the weather you are at market.  We absolutely appreciate it and we KNOW for a fact that the shoppers do also.  What has been the biggest sale at any market in one day

We always make sure we show up in any weather because we know our customers rely on us being there and we absolutely appreciate that they come out whatever the weather.

Some days we do incredibly well and sell totally out.  But when the weather ain't that great obviously it's a bit slower but fortunately for us, it's not that often.

It's hard to put a figure on best seller because our costs and produce change according to season and weather.

For anyone who has yet to discover the delights of your Orange Grove goodies, what 5 words would you use to get em in and have a sample

Come and have a taste!

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No point waiting....it's a no brainer really.  Gotta get in, have a sample and then when that's done, buy and buy big is our advice

It's Ready 2 Plant time!

Love the branding! Always a sucker for great branding!   Did it "present" itself or did it evolve and grow like a good plant should

"Branding"...as a photographer myself I am very conscious of how things are presented.  I also believe our customers deserve an enjoyable shopping experience.... I also have to work all day (at market) so I want to feel like I am at home only on a smaller scale.

The look of the stall has evolved with out products, but I like design and detail.  I did have one customer laugh at me and say " god you are SUCH a frustrated designer"....very true....can't help it!

How long have you been part of the Frenchs Forest market family

I have been at Frenchs Forest markets for over 2 years now.  My sister Joe has been on bard for the last year, and my Mum has been part of the team for the last few months which is absolutely wonderful.

celebrating the 2 year milestone

I get to spend time with my two favourite girls once a week and of course Tom has now been adopted into our family, along with our dear friends Lynn and John.

We have seen your stall grow (literally) where you are now offering an incredible range of fruit/veg/smoothies and more.  What is the singularly best seller at market

Our best seller by far is our Big Green Monster green smoothie which is dairy and gluten free as well as 100% organic.

It all originated from being pregnant with bub number 4, working at the markets and not being able to find anything to eat or drink that was organic: LOTS of fresh organic produce of course (at market) but nothing I could eat/drink straight away...I was STARVING!!

So I created a stall that I can guzzle smoothies, eat yoghurts etc to my hearts content: very selfish really.

Can you enlighten us as to the magic of the green smoothie which is the absolute "rage" at the moment

Green smoothie secrets?  No secret really as we list ALL our ingredients on our menu board.  But the big secret is the rice milk and the frozen banana.

The frozen banana chills the smoothie and gives it that creaminess, and teamed with the rice milk is a real winner.

There were many green smoothies created and drunk before we developed the magical balance which has now a cult following at the market.  Even bub drinks a whole one!

How would you sum up the community spirit at Frenchs Forest Market in one sentence

The market community is my second family: they support, encourage and inspire me to do my very best.

we show you this as by 10am most of it is almost gone!

The market is just as much about the people as it is the wonderful goods on offer: the kindness we have all been shown is humbling.

That's more than one sentence isn't it! 

Well the community at the market deserves more than one sentence....I have met the most special friends at French Forest Market and we value them all sooooo much

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We love you and your team as well!  Your kindness, positive energy and amazing range of organic fruit and veg, smoothies, herbs and more always brightens up Frenchs Forest Market even when the rain gods are not that kind to us

And now a word from our fans

5 Questions with..........Moo & More

How Long have you been at Frenchs Forest Market?

Moo & More have been at Frenchs Forest Market since October 2008

We know at times you have had to put up a "gate" made from crates so you can actually finish setting up before trading, but what is the record number of milk/cheese/yoghurt you have sold in one day?

Being predominantly a Jersey dairy stall winter is our busiest time, with the exception of Easter & Christmas market time.  Our record for milk sales is 1076 litres at a single market (and that was just MILK!).

Best cheese day we sold 214 pieces

Best day for our exceptional tomatoes was a quarter of a tonne!

Before becoming a Moo'er, what was your previous life & why the change?

Both of us were in the Hospitality Industry for around 20 years and were/are dedicated foodies who genuinely enjoyed the interaction with people we met along the way. 

But Tony is from the Land and was wanting to get back to it somehow, and as we were used to working long hours in hospitality, weekend market life was not an issue.

We wanted the independence of working for ourselves and promoting the things we believed in. 

The Moo part of Moo & More was born out of our close friendship and association with Malcolm Rose, a Jersey dairy farmer from Wooloomin near Tamworth.

Doing markets allowed us to bring Malcom's premium quality milk to Sydneysiders.  Something that he simply could not achieve otherwise.

We love our market life and wouldn't change it for anything, inspite (or even despite) the early mornings & intense workload to ensure all our produce is the freshest you can buy.

What is the best aspect of market life for the Moo'ers?

Without a doubt, the best aspect of market life are our customers.  Their loyalty and commitment to us has been humbling.  We love that they share their high's and low's with us, as we do with them.

We love the wonderful sense of community that exists between all of us - customers and stallholders.

We especially love the children that we have known since before they were born, who now walk in to our stall and say "Hi Libby!  Hi Tony!"

We know that you are strong supporters of "buy local" and helping to keep those on the Land keep on keeping on.  What more can we (as a community) do to keep this mantra alive and educate others?

We should all maintain integrity in what we do.  We should help our customers to understand their choices.  We should be generous with our knowledge and of our time.

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We would like to thank Libby & Tony for sharing their story with us and you can find them every Sunday at Frenchs Forest Markets. Word to the wise: get in early cause these guys sell out in a blink of an eye!