Fresh produce supplier DJ Wholesale business owner Peter McCook saw the impact of the Australian Government’s forced shutdown as an opportunity to pivot his business to helping the local community.

 

“Making trips to the supermarket scared the living daylights out of me at the time.”

 

“When I would go to the supermarket during the early stages of the pandemic, I would witness people climbing over each other to get at groceries in the isle, empty shelves, people handling fruit and veg to test freshness and then putting it back, and checking out with absolutely no sanitisation – I think it just jolted me into reality that we had to do something.”

 

Pete’s business supplies to various establishments in the hospitality industry of the New England. With 90% if their customer base having to shut their doors it was a major concern for his business.

 

“We service university colleges, schools, pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafes as well as nursing homes and hospitals. The pubs and clubs were a big hit; however, equally so were the schools and university.”

 

“We had to stay open to service the hospitals and nursing homes in the New England, so this has just provided an additional revenue source to keep us busy and our team employed. However, with cool rooms full of fresh produce and no one to sell it to, and a dedicated team of staff, I knew there had to be something more to keep us going and generate enough to keep our staff employed and motivated.”

 

The combination of the fearful supermarket experience and the hit to Pete’s revenue had made him pivot his business and to create the getfreshdirect.com.au service for locals in the Armidale region. Get Fresh Direct is a service for customers to order fresh produce online, and have it delivered straight to their door within the town boundary, or local pickup at the Railway drive through!

 

“We are currently selling the staples: fresh fruit & veg, dairy, coffee, and bread from our local businesses. In addition, we will soon add a basic cereal range and a full range of meat from local suppliers.”  

 

Get Fresh Direct has been able to not only provide a way that residents can limit the amount trips to the supermarket, but it has also provided an amazing opportunity to connect the community with other local businesses. Some of the local businesses involved with Get Fresh Direct include, The Goldfish Bowl, Bakers Delight, The Railway Hotel, Armidale Norco Distribution, The Welders Dog, Milly Hill meats, and local growers of fresh produce. Pete is also excited to announce that there will be more businesses appearing on their online website soon too. 

 

“I think it is really important to note that we wouldn’t be able to do this without the support of other local businesses who have been hit hard by the shutdown. While we are the front to this, we rely heavily on our local businesses to supply quality, fresh local products, and I think the local community will have a newfound appreciation for their local businesses.”

 

Pete has shown how important it is as a business owner to not only be flexible, but the resilience that comes as part of the job description.

 

“There is no formula for a business in an unprecedented environment. Doing something is better than doing nothing, because we don’t know when or if things will return to normal operations. You either adapt or you roll over – and rolling over is not really in the Aussie psyche.”

 

Pete has decided to continue with the direct to home service from now on as it has proven to be a successful business model and will be a great addition to the business.

 

Keep an eye out for more for Get Fresh Direct as they introduce meat to their selection of produce, and their soon to launch ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ promo where people can order for someone in need and they will deliver it for free!

 

Stay tuned! Make sure to give them a follow on Facebook and don’t forget there is a 10% discount on orders for UNE staff and students during the month of May!

Use discount code: UNEMAY20

 

Find their website here: https://getfreshdirect.com.au/

 

Follow them on social media here:

https://www.instagram.com/getfresh_armidale/

https://www.facebook.com/getfreshdirect/