City girl turned country girl, Lisa Turner, hopes to bring a taste of the South Melbourne Markets to Rutherglen when her new business venture opens its doors in August.
Lisa says the community spirit of the markets, and a passion for promoting local producers is the drive behind her new business venture, Rutherglen Provedore which will include a weekly undercover farmers’ market, a produce store and café.
“I lived in Melbourne and did attend the South Melbourne Markets regularly with my parents growing up,” Lisa said.
“I want to bring that sense of community back. I want this to be a community hub. Although we don’t have the population of South Melbourne, I want people to feel like they can come in here, buy their groceries or have a cup of coffee and be welcome.”
Lisa has been on a journey of discovery since moving initially to Yerong Creek near Wagga, then Rutherglen four years ago.
“When I moved to the country I was thinking we have all these lovely producers around here and they’re not being highlighted as much as they should be.
“We also have two children with autism and bowel issues themselves so I was also looking for fresh produce all the time.”
There’s a clear mantra for Rutherglen Provedore when it opens its doors.
“We’re all about local,” Lisa said.
“We’ll have a whole section on local producers from the North East and Southern Riverina. We’ll also supply local wines from wineries in Beechworth, the Alpine Valleys and Rutherglen that don’t necessarily have a cellar door.
“We’ll also sell rustic style meals and platters – just very simple food, and we’ve sourced our coffee from Mansfield Coffee Merchant and will supply cakes and patisseries from Three Mile Kitchen in Beechworth.”
The new business venture also plans to host weekly undercover farmers’ markets every Thursday.
“I think it’s important for people to know where their food comes from and understand the passion behind the producers,” Lisa said.
“The more we all share that information with others, the more we can all support local industries and grow our economy.”
Rutherglen Provedore will open in August, at a former car sales site owned by Ken Jasper across the road from the Visitor Information Centre.
