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Message The community grocer impact report 2024
hello@thecommunitygrocer.com.au We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the landson which we live, work and share food - the people of theKulin nation. We pay deep respect to their Elders past andpresent, and to all First Nations people.For tens of thousands of years, Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander peoples have cared for Country and cultivatedknowledge systems grounded in seasonal rhythms,abundance, and nourishment. We honour this unbrokenrelationship with land, water, and food — and recognisethat food justice cannot exist without truth, sovereigntyand self-determination.The Community Grocer supports Pay the Rent by paying1% of trading profit each year.Contact usAcknowledgementThe Community Grocer is a registered charity andsocial enterprise.All donations over $2 are tax deductible
SuzanneKleveDirector 2023- Peta ChristensonDirector 2023- Kelly DurrantDirector 2023- Grant Cooper Chair 2019- Roslyn AikmanTreasurer2019- Dr. RebeccaLindbergDirector 2014- VOLUNTEER BOARD MEMBERSMeet our teamJanine WoodsideBoard Advisor Dr. Julia McCartenBoard Advisor
Message from the BoardIn 2024 we had a year of incredible growth and impactfor The Community Grocer. As we continue to expand,we’re reaching more people experiencing food insecuritythan ever before.This year also marked a major milestone: our 10 yearanniversary. From our first humble market in Carlton,we’ve grown to operate six vibrant markets acrossGreater Melbourne. I’ve had the privilege of visiting eachone and witnessing firsthand the powerful impact theyhave, not just on individuals, but on entire communities.This milestone is a testament to the extraordinarydedication of our staff and volunteers. Very few charitiesreach a decade of sustained impact, and we’re proud ofthe meaningful difference we’ve made and continue tomake, together.None of this would be possible without the generoussupport of our funders and partners. Their belief in ourmission enables us to serve and nourish the communitieswe call home. We are deeply grateful for theircollaboration and look forward to continuing theseimportant partnerships.Behind the scenes, our board and staff have beenworking hard on finalising a new Strategic Plan to guideThe Community Grocer over the next three years. Hugethanks to our CEO, Georgia Savage, for leading thisprocess with vision and heart, and to my fellow directorsfor their commitment and insight.We’re excited about what’s ahead and we hope you’ll bepart of the journey.Grant Cooper, Chair
Meet our teamThe Community Grocer 4Mads Operations Manager Carlton & FlemingtonMarket Manager AntoineSustainable Procurement Manager AyanCarlton & Flemington Market Assistant CassFitzroy & RichmondMarket Manager ChloePakenhamMarket Assistant HannahRichmondMarket Assistant JemimaMarketAssistant LianaMeltonMarket Manager MelPakenhamMarket Manager MonSkills BuildingManager OlliFitzroyMarket Assistant RoniGrocer GiftCoordinator STAFF MEMBERSGeorgiaCEO
Message from the CEOGeorgia 2024 was a milestone year for The CommunityGrocer as we celebrated 10 years of deliveringdignified, affordable access to fresh food acrossMelbourne. It’s been a decade of important andinnovative work, and a powerful reminder thatgood food is foundational to healthy, connectedcommunities.This year brought both reflection and renewal. TheVictorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Food Securityreaffirmed what we already know - local,community-led models like ours are vital in buildinglong-term food resilience. As the cost-of-livingcrisis continued to push more people into foodinsecurity, our work became more urgent thanever. In 2024, we launched a new market and preparedto launch a further two - bringing our total weeklymarket delivery to 6 markets – a scaled offeringthat will allow us to reach more people in moreplaces with our proven model. This work is atestament to the strength and vision of our wholeteam.To our incredible staff, volunteers, board, partners,and community – thank you. Your commitment andcare power everything we do.I see first hand that The Community Grocer ischanging lives, communities and the food system,and I look forward to continuing to strengthen thisvital work.Georgia Savage, CEO
MARKET VOLUNTEERS Meet our teamOUR MARKETS AREVOLUNTEER POWEREDIn 2024, The Community Grocer was supportedby 62 different volunteers who completed 2,690hours with us. Three-quarters of our volunteersare culturally and linguistically diverse, with 23different languages spoken between our teammembers. People volunteer at The Community Grocer tocreate social connection, build language and workskills, help improve access to food for others, andfor themselves. In 2024, we provided $4308worth of produce to volunteers to recognise theirvalue and thank them for the time and skills theybring to The Community Grocer.The rest of the teamare incredibly lovelyand have made mefeel included andvalued since day one.It’s an incredibly kindand supportiveenvironmentMarket VolunteerMaddie and Harvey, legendary volunteers at our Flemington Market
Thriving, healthy communities - connected by food that isfresh, fair and for everyoneOur Strategy 2025 - 2027Our last strategy ran from 2021-2024, and we used 2024 to help us toshape up a new strategy. We are proud to share our new Vision, Mission,Values and Strategy for the next 3 years below.our visionour missionWe revitalise local food systems in communities across GreaterMelbourne by running weekly fresh food markets that provideaccess to affordable, sustainable and culturally relevant fruit andvegetables for all. Our vibrant and inclusive marketplaces increasefood security, strengthen local economies and foster socialconnection. We embrace food as a vehicle for change.We centre people, place and community.We are inclusive and equitable, alwaysWe take a whole of systems approach.We work in partnership as together we are strongerour values
Our Strategy 2025 - 2027Our Strategy has three key strategic pillars of Equity, Opportunityand Community. Working together, they help us to achieve impact across three areas -increasing food security, strengthening local economies andfostering social connection.
The Community Grocer Model : a holistic food security solutionTCG model is a holistic approach to addressing food insecurity,addressing all the UN FAO Six Dimensions of Food Security. Ouractivities work together to support each community and ultimatelycreate impact across food security, local economies and socialconnection.
I really like that it's more than just aplace to come and buy fruits andvegetables, its a social hub, it's aplace to come and discuss food,share stories and culture, and Ithink food- yes its nourishes you,but it holds such and importantplace in cultures and connectionand I think TCG does a really lovelyjob of kind of bringing the differentareas of healthy food as well as theway the other ways that foodnourishes us humans. Fitzroy Community Member
This is a vital service for the estatecommunity... more people canenjoy the fantastic food andcommunity connectionsCarlton Community MemberWe held 180 weekly markets in local, convenientlocations, providing access to 14,916 households In 2024 we achieved the following:Our Impact84% of our customers increase their fruit andvegetable intake as a result of shopping at ourmarketsWe were, on average, 30% cheaper thansurrounding fresh food outlets, and we had 158types of culturally relevant fruit and vegetables wehave at our markets70% of customers are living on a low-income or notcurrently employed93% of customers report feeling more connected totheir community after shopping at our marketsWe provided 651,674 serves of fruit and vegetablesto community membersTwo-thirds of our customers speak a language otherthan English
Hinako, a volunteer at our Carlton Market processing transactions
We run fresh produce markets to increase social,economic and physical access to fresh food. Our markets offer choice and nutrition in a dignifiedsetting, creating inclusive and vibrant gathering spaces.Everyone is welcome at our markets.Our FreshFood MarketsFitzroy8:30am-12:30pm Tuesdays Atherton Gardens Estate90 Brunswick St In 2024, we Served 5,902 householdsSold 22,626kg of fruit and vegetablesEnabled 449 Grocer Gift Card transactions tothe value of $10,327Provided 522 free coffees/meals at the marketSupported 1111 volunteer hours at the marketPakenham9am-1pm Thursdays Living & Learning Inc6B Henry StIn 2024, we Served 2,658 householdsSold 13,058kg of fruit and vegetablesEnabled 53 Grocer Gift Card transactions tothe value of $1062Supported 203 volunteer hours at the marketCarlton8am-12pm Fridays Carlton Housing Estate510 Lygon St In 2024, we Served 3,443 householdsSold 10,294kg of fruit and vegetablesEnabled 253 Grocer Gift Card transactions tothe value of $4334Provided 585 free coffees/meals at the marketSupported 894 volunteer hours at the marketFlemington8:30am-12:30pm Saturdays Debney Meadows PrimarySchool100 Victoria St In 2024, we Served 2,733 householdsSold 11,221kg of fruit and vegetablesEnabled 73 Grocer Gift Card transactions to thevalue of $1,318Provided 271 free coffees/meals at the marketSupported 481 volunteer hours at the market
all your staff here -they are all beautiful. I get a high-five, a fistbump at the till. Youdon’t get that at asupermarket. so there’s somethingunique...about thismarket.Fitzroy Community Member
A new market for FlemingtonFamiliar produce, close to homeOn April 20 , we launched a new Saturdaymarket in Flemington at Debney MeadowsPrimary School to over 100 customers. Sincelaunching, the market has served as muchmore than just a local, affordable option forfruit and vegetables. Each week the marketserves as a valuable third space, where localcommunity members spend their Saturdaymornings gathered over a warm cup of coffeeand chatting with our market teams.thSome of our Flemington Market Team: Ayan, Harvey, Sandra, Mon and DianaThis market at DebneyMeadows Primary isamazing. Price, service,environment AMAZING.Such a great project forthe local community.Flemington Community Member
this gift card is for the valueof $50 and is valid at: 510 Lygon St, Carlton 8am-12pm every Friday 90 Brunswick St, Fitzroy 8.30am-12.30pm every Tuesdaycode: CM1Expiry: 31 July 2024Grocer Gift CardsDignified Access for AllThe Grocer Gift Program is an innovativefood voucher program that enables thosewithout money to purchase fruit andvegetables at our markets - providing anutritious, dignified and choice basedalternative to emergency food relief.In 2024, the program continued to grow andstrengthen.We engaged 25 different communitypartners to help us to distribute vouchers tothose in need, including neighbourhoodhouses, health services, youth services andschools.For 2024, here are some key statistics fromour Grocer Gift program:$35,385 of vouchers generated2,259 individual vouchers generated and distributed75% of Grocer Gift recipients surveyed worried about runningout of food in the past 12 months, and 37.5% actually did.75% reported Grocer Gift cards cover most or all of their fruitsand vegetables50% reported Grocer Gift cards meant they do not have to relyon other forms of food relief as much or at all85% of Grocer Gift recipients surveyed, who accessed otherforms of food relief, preferred using a Grocer Gift Card70% voucher redemption rate (all-time)
the benefits of a GrocerGift Card...it means I canuse whatever incomewe’ve got to pay all thebills. This helps us tohave better meals whichhelps our bodiesphysically...andmentally. Grocer Gift Recipient
Values Based ProcurementWorking on supply as well as accessIn 2024, The Community Grocer was funded by the Lord Mayors CharitableFoundation to build an equitable, resilient and sustainable fresh food supplynetwork in Melbourne. And we did just that! We established direct buying relationships with 10 producers to supply us withapples, pears, onions, garlic, eggs, leafy greens, pumpkins and potatoes. All ourproducers use regenerative or chemical-free approaches to growing food, whichmeans it’s healthier for people and the planet. We were able to bring this produce to all 4 of our markets in 2024 - at anaffordable price. This means that those living on a low-income can still accessthese quality, fresh fruit and vegetables, which are otherwise prohibitivelyexpensive.In 2024, we achieved the following: Transitioned nearly 20% of our supply chain from conventionallygrown to sustainably grown producePurchased 7,655kg of sustainably grown producePurchased $36,787 worth of produce, with that money goingdirectly back to producersEstablished a TCG Hub at theMelbourne Farmers MarketDepot, to enable us toreceive, aggregate anddistribute producePartnered with Open Table toutilise their Electric Van toassist with the logistics ofthis new supply chainTrialled innovativeapproaches to achieveaffordability, such as a FoodSubsidy FundPurchased 60% of our produce from Victorian producers
Fruit & Veggie BoxesIncreasing Access for the Whole CommunityI find grocery storesoverwhelming, so beingable to access suchgreat fresh produce in aplace that’s so calm andwelcoming is amazing.Pakenham Community MemberOur fruit and veggies boxes allow members ofour community to access our fresh andaffordable fruit and vegetables, even if theycan’t make it to our markets. Our boxes are purchased on the Open FoodNetwork and can either be collected from ourmarkets or from one of our wonderful after-hours Pickup Hub Partners.Mixed fruit and vegetable boxes packed by The Community GrocerIn 2024 we packed a total of 1,802 boxes across our four markets, which includedour Workplace Fruit Boxes.
Multicultural Microenterprises More Than Just Fruit and VegetablesAcross our markets we are joined by a variety ofmulticultural microenterprises, run by localresidents and partners. Each brings somethingdelicious and different to the market space. In2024 we partnered with almost 20 enterpriseswith offerings including Baklava from Ali and hisDelightful Cakes and Food, sesame balls fromFitzroy Learning Network, mandazi made by aCarlton Community Group, and Sambusa madeby Hamida of Hooyo’s HouseHolly and Jane from Fitzroy Learning Network with some of their delicious offerings including fresh bread and focaccia,sesame balls, falafel and chilli oillI come to this market tosell my injera. So I saidok, now everyone lovesit and I’m really happyhere. Ethiopians that areliving in Australia, they alleat injera. When I eat it, itreminds me of my mum,my family and mycountry too. Fitzroy Microenterprise Owner
Microbusiness CoursesA partnership with Kensington Neighbourhood HouseKensington Neighbourhood House designedand ran a free microenterprise course in 2024,to assist community members to turn theirmicrobusiness dreams into a reality. Alongsidethe course, participants had the opportunity totrial their stalls at The Community GrocerFlemington to test their products and ideas.Many of these businesses have continued onas regular fixtures at our Saturday marketssince graduating.Syma from Claws n’ Paws pet care, attending our Flemington Market as part of the Boost your Microbusiness courseoffered by Kensington Neighbourhood House Kensington NeighbourhoodHouse helped me get thecertificate I need to startworking, and TheCommunity Grocer gave usa good opportunity to havecustomers who come tobuy fresh fruit and veggiessmell our food and comeand buy.Flemington Microenterprise Owner
Market Happy HourBrewing Community Connections We were thrilled to be able to offer our Market HappyHours across our metropolitan markets in 2024. Duringthese Happy Hours community members could gatherand enjoy a free coffee on us, lovingly brewed bymembers of the local community. Thanks to Heyat atFitzroy, and Letina at Flemington for their Ethiopiancoffee, and Gemia here at Carlton for her Eritrean brew. Gemia, a beloved member of the Carlton community offering her delicious Eritrean coffee and African donuts A place ofgathering anda place ofcommunityconnectionFitzroy Microenterprise Owner
Celebrating CultureOur markets love a good partyWe know the power of celebration. Not only does celebration invite feelings ofjoy, but it also serves as a powerful connecter between and within diversecommunities. Through celebrating cultural events at our markets we’vewitnessed the way they can strengthen social ties, promote culturalunderstanding, and create a welcome opportunity for people to express theirpride in their community.In 2024, across our markets we celebrated Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, Eid Al-Adha, Diwali and other milestone days like International Women’s Day.Ha, displaying produce at Carlton for our market where we celebrated Lunar New Year with the community
New Markets on the HorizonMore markets in more communitiesThroughout 2024, we saw an increasing interest in The Community Grocermodel, with over 10 communities and partners reaching out to explore how wecould work together to introduce a local, weekly affordable fresh food marketwhere they live and work. We have a Feasibility Study Tool which helps us to determine the need, demandand viability of our model in new settings. We conducted three Feasibility Studies through 2024, which lay the groundworkfor the launch of 2 new markets in 2025 - one in the public housing estate inRichmond and one in the growth corridor of Melton. We were excited to build local partnerships with more than 30 differentorganisations through the Feasibility Study process, including North RichmondCommunity Health and the Melton Food Systems Collective.
The Country Grocer was launched in 2014, and this year we celebrated a hugemilestone - our 10 year anniversary! We first celebrated at our Carlton market, still operating a decade on, with thecommunity who have supported and grown with us throughout this time. We also held an event for the whole TCG family including volunteers, staff,friends, customers, partners and funders at Djerring Flemington Hub in November2024. Over 60 people popped in to enjoy tasty treats from our marketplacepartners, a beautiful video capturing our story made by the team at PressroomPhilanthropy and the wonderful painted scenes of the Fitzroy market created byour friend Pol the Painter. Here are some highlights from the last decade!Ten Years of The Community Grocer Celebrating a Milestone1386 markets held across 8 different locations, serving a totalof 80,460 households with affordable, culturally relevant fruitand vegetables!343,564kg of fresh produce sold to community members!$85,684 worth of Grocer Gift Cards generated and distributed -that’s 5,136 individual vouchers to support those in need toshop at our markets
THECOMMUNITYGROCERNETWORKLocal communityFunders Suppliers - Wholesalers - Local suppliersFood and nutrition networksCommunity organisationsCommunity health centres and servicesSocial enterprisesSchoolsGrocer Gift community partnersUniversities and research institutesOur 2024 Funders and Supporters - Thank YouOur 2024PartnersWe cannot do this work alone. We work with a range ofcommunity partners to build an ecosystem to address foodinsecurity in local communities. This involves funders, suppliersand food networks, and support services.FitzroyCarltonPakenhamFlemingtonNew Markets Board - StaffVolunteersLocal councils State governmentFederal government