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Good Good Life Life Sustainable distillery
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(02) 5605 8401
FUSION AN TFOODE TRE
If you are looking for a special cut flower you won’t find in any florist, or something unique for an occasion, your first stop should be Liz Lualdi’s Byron Bay Blue Lotus stall at Mullumbimby Farmers Market. The aquatic flowers, cultivated at Liz’s farm in Tyagarah, are sold as cut flowers, live plants for water features, dried flowers for culinary uses, as well as blue lotus body products. Liz is one of the very, very few blue lotus farmers in Australia, and becoming a lotus farmer was a happy accident. Once she had settled into her new property, she found the pristine tea tree lakes to be carpeted in beautiful blue lotus blooms. Initially selling these locally as cut flowers, Liz then grew the business and established a stall at the farmers’, markets in 2010, which she operates during the lotus season from September until June. Blue lotus plants don’t grow like any other flowering plant; they have a root system at the bottom of the lake which has a spiral of buds reaching to the surface. The plants are dormant during the winter months but as soon as the spring temperature and light are just right, the flowers return. When a flower is picked the plant accelerates the next flower to come up to the surface. Liz’s blue lotuses are wild harvested with no interference at all. Liz is hands-on at every stage of the business. ‘Being a part of the process from beginning to end is so rewarding. From taking care of the lake that they grow in, to paddling around on a surf ski harvesting the flowers, through to finishing the product, taking it to market and then handing it over and talking to the customers – we’re there every step of the way. I find it effortless to talk about the flowers and the cultivation and I love receiving feedback from our customers every week,’ she says. And the most charming thing about the blue lotus? ‘The flowers close at night and open during the day, they move around a lot, pulling amazing manoeuvres, it’s really like having a little pet’. During the lotus season Byron Bay Blue Lotus are at Mullumbimby Farmers Markets, Fridays 7–11am.
DINETAKEAW I DELIV E
Byron Bay Blue Lotus
Cape Byron Distillery, home of Australia’s beloved Brookie’s Byron Gin, has joined B Corp, a global movement of community-focused businesses and organisations certified to have sustainable and ethical business practices. If your friends were previously sceptical when you suggested a healthy outdoor walk at a distillery, now’s the time to revisit the tour and see the rainforest regeneration, nesting boxes and other sustainable practices that have earned this company its stripes. ‘It is in our company DNA and at the very core of everything we do here, to support our community, the environment, and our people. We see business as a force for good,’ said founder Eddie Brook. B Corp is one of the most demanding certifications that evaluates a brands’ ethics, with a criteria of over 350 benchmarks concerning operations, employee treatment, community, and environmental impact. Cape Byron Distillery is one of only two spirit distillers in Australia to achieve the distinction. Cape Byron Distillery achieved B Corp Certification by exceeding B Corp Standards, not only in reforestation efforts, but across five categories of the B Impact Assessment: Community, Customers, Environment, Workers, and Governance. Some of the highlighting factors attributed to the success of the certification include an on-farm closed-loop distillation process where whisky wash and botanicals are mixed with mulch to create a nutrientdense soil conditioner that is reused on the Davidson plum orchard, diverting waste from landfill by utilising black CORNER OF CARLYLE ST & KEESING, LA BYRON soldier flies to consume organic waste, and implementing various waste diversion streams and energy monitoring systems. Another milestone for the Distillery was a 30 per cent decrease in landfill waste over the period of January 2019 to December 2021, from an average of 3.3kg per 100 We are looking for people across our floor, bar & kitchen bottles down to 2.1kg. departments to join our dynamic, enthusiastic & See for yourself and focused team in the heart of Byron Bay. sample a great range of different products. - Competitive salary packages capebyrondistillery.com. - Full time & part time positions available - Sponsorship opportunities available - Passionate management team - Great environment for training & upskilling - Great team culture - Fully air-conditioned, cool venue for summer - Apprenticeship/Traineeship opportunities
TUES - SAT 5 - 10 BAY
g n i r i H e r ’ We
To apply: email cover letter & CV to admin@loftbyronbay.com.au
20% DISCOUNT ON VENUE HIRE TO LOCALS TIDES BYRON ESTATE LUXURY ACCOMMODATION & EVENTS
• Accommodation available for up to 22 guests on request. • All equipment included for dining and bar up to 120 guests.
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żſĶō ǭǽ ǩǧǩǩ The Byron Shire Echo 21