How long have you been part of the Organic Food Markets "family"
Gabriel has been at Hornsby from the start. That is how I met him. I am a local (living only a block from the markets!) and totally in to organic food & health (I am a Kinesiologist by training), to would stop and chat with him.
I have been doing Hornsby Market for about a year now - after losing my job at TAFE (along with many others). Gabriel suggested I help him out.
That has now grown from only working Thursdays to helping Gabe at all his markets (Kings Cross on a Saturday & Frenchs Forest on a Sunday), then developing a new product (Coconut Kefir... soooooo good, literally walking out the door at the markets!) and effectively to a business partnership.
this is a lassi version that contains the kefir
also incredibly popular!
Now I am selling the products to Health Food stores Sydney-wide.
Can you give us a little bit of background a to how Amphore "came to life" so to speak
Gabriel wanted to develop and sell products that really worked minus the exaggeration and marketing spin.
So he asked a few pertinent questions:
- What is the best way to gain/regain a healthy gut
- What repaires and nourishes the skin best
Of course the answers to these questions respectively are the basis of what we produce now:
Kombucha drink (which contains Glucaric Acid - THE best detox tool in food form bar non) which tastes like Ginger Beer = BONUS
Coconut Kefir )the strongest most effective probiotic food there is, but DAIRY & SUGAR FREE and a complete replacement to Dairy in the kitchen) and tastes totally decadent
Certified Rosehip Oil for skin repair
Clear Jojoba for skin hydration
Skin Logique for face, hand & body cream (which does the lot and is Aloe Vera based)
You do quite a few of our other markets as well. Is there any noticeable difference as to the type of custom which is unique to each location?
Pretty much the same. Mainly locals who are switched on about health and how are looking for a bargain.
Of course we get to know some of our customers quite well, and consider many as friends.
Often we are told that they have come to market especially for one of our products as they have become essential in some way in their lives.
Market lift can at times be tough with the early starts and the weather gods not being particularly kind at times. How has been a marketeer enriched your life.
As long as you are rugged up, the weather is not an issue. On really wet days Gabriel will bring his guitar along and we "play" so to speak.
And it is surprising how well we scrub up after not much sleep.
What I do is more of a vocation than a job to me - I am an educator with a Natural Therapies background. I can get to more people, enrich their lives in a way that matters to me far more effectively than I could when I taught. And I am paying the rent: a win/win!
For those who are yet to discover the hidden secret in Hornsby on a Thursday, what would you say to encourage them to bite the bullet and give it a go?
Healthy bargains, delightful company, consistently high produce, always something new to try and a great way to catch up with friends.
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An enormous thanks to Janelle for sharing some of her Amphore life with us and you can find them at Hornsby Markets every Thursday!
