Made Here – October 2021

Made•• Here Made

A world of wonderful things Made Here, on the North Coast and Northern Rivers.

CONTENTS

Made•Here AN ECHO MAGAZINE

www.echo.net.au Editor: Aslan Shand Advertising team: Kim Beaver, Anna Coelho, Jacki Coward, Lesley Hannaford, Angela Harris, Kate Messenger, and Kate Thompson.

Design & production: Shantih Duvel Cover: design Shantih Duvel, photo Pexels © 2021 Echo Publications Pty Ltd ABN 86 004 000 239 Village Way, Stuart Street, Mullumbimby Phone: 02 6684 1777 Fax: 02 6684 1719 Advertising enquiries: adcopy@echo.net.au

www.echo.net.au/made-here

Inside Made Here WELCOME 5 Article: What you feel is what you create

7

FOR YOUR BODY

8–11

Urban Buffalo, Bangalow Shoe Making, Sunglass Fix, Made in Mullum, Ahnotion Balance Boards, Conscious Crystal Cutting, Annelies Ellanora Jewellery, Cristina Art Silver, Hammer and Hand, In The Raw, Honey Hunt Style

Article: The Craft of Creativity

12

FOR YOUR COMMUNITY

13

The Echo

North Coast Market Guide

FOR YOUR THIRST

14

14–17

Byron Bay Hempire, Pyewacket’s Traditional, Koala Tea, Bun Coffee, Winding Road Distilling Co, Cabarita Spirits, Brookie’s Gin, Byron Bay Spirits, Ventura Brewing, Two Mates Brewing

FOR YOUR HUNGER

18–26

Eclair at the Bay, Brookfarm, Dilectio, A Chef’s Pocket, Alive and Wild, Love Byron Bay, Hemp Foods Australia, Australian Manuka, Knox & Aya, Gather By, We The Many, Bangalow Bread Co, Byron Bay Cacao, Life Cykel, Dinner is Served, Byron Bay Olive Co, Satvik Foods

Article: Connecting through Culture 22 Article: Keeping it local. The way to ward off ghost towns 27

FOR YOUR PET

28

I Love A Dog

FOR YOUR HOME

28–30

Tamsin Smyth Designs, Davina J Bambrick Photography, Studio Suvira, The Cutting Board Company, Wood by Mossy, The Organic Ceramics Co, Flowforms, Cascade Concrete, Goosehouse Designs

Article: Buddy-up to bring your idea to life

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MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021 3

AUSTRALIAN ORGANIC OZONATED OILS • Beautifully presented in glass • Multi purpose salve

Passionate about all things Ozone • Ozone is nature’s cleaner. It cleans our air and is a powerful healing agent and uplifts our spirits with potent triple Oxygen.

• Ozone Beauty & Medi Spa Organic Ozonated Oils have harnessed the healing power of ozone & bottled it in glass for your skin.

ANTIBACTERIAL ANTI INFLAMMATORY PAIN RELIEVING • SOOTHING RAPID HEALING • SKIN REPAIRING ALL PURPOSE SALVE

Purchase in store at Ozone Beauty & Medi Spa Shop 3/32 Mullumbimbi Street Brunswick Heads and online. Wholesale enquiries and retail partners welcome.

02 6685 1145 | ozonebeautyspa.com.au

M I N I M A L S H O E S F O R H E A LT H I E R L I V E S

LO CAL HAND C RAFT ED N ATU R AL F OOTWE A R

4 MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021

P E R AC L E S F O OTW E A R . CO M IN COLLABORAT ION WIT H @ BANGALOWS H OEMAKING

www.echo.net.au/made-here

Welcome...

T

here is an idea of belonging that often inspires people to try the waters of the Northern Rivers. An idea that, if they come here, they might discover themselves and others in a more true and connected way. It is often based on the principles that those original hippies came here in the 1970s as they sought to reassess and redefine their relationships with themselves, their community and society at large.

Those ideas were based how to change the relationships with the people around them positively, how to protect the environment and how to reconnect…

While it may have started with the Barter Field and moon dances in Main Arm, the Aquarius Festival in Nimbin, and the Terania Creek protests, it continues to grow and change. You can still head to

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local markets like The Channon and buy things that have been lovingly made by local hands and minds, but it has also become an area where ideas and businesses can seed and grow beyond the region.

The focus on community has allowed the development of The Farmers Markets and Lismore Produce Market that provide an outlet for local growers to connect directly with their customers. At the other end of the spectrum you can now pick up Byron Bay Cookies on the other side of the globe, and there are businesses like Brookfarm – which has expanded from muesli and macadamia oil into a successful range of healthy food products.

Whether it is food and farming, woodwork, essential oils or art the key is that being part of a local community allows people to come together, to

make connections and support one another. That can be in so many different ways: from helping build tiny homes for the homeless and supporting the local community centres, to innovative regenerative farming practices and business development and employment.

As all these elements weave together they create community, support lives and the local economy. The hope is that as we move forward the idea of community is not lost, that what has been created, in terms of connection and support, can grow stronger in the face of the challenges of climate change and political corruption. That integrity, hope and the value of people, the environment and caring is one of the things we can keep as an integral part of what we have made here and what might continue to inspire.

Aslan Shand, editor.

MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021 5

Protect your garden produce from summer heat, pests and storms.

Build it, then grow.

The HortPod is a Northern Rivers-made, robust Aussie greenhouse kit.

Tough galvanised steel frame and durable covers 12-step easy self-build with detailed instructions and ‘How-to’ video 4m x 4m x 2.75m high Practical solution for seedling, veggie, flower and herb growers

www.hortpod.com.au ER ORD E IN L N O

0448 275 636 service@hortpod.com.au

Designed and engineered in Ballina by GreenLife Structures.

6 MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021

www.echo.net.au/made-here

What you feel is what you create Aletha Zylstra A sense of personal competence is one of the biggest predictors of success in life. With competence comes a sense of independence, and of being resilient to life’s challenges.

Mullumbimby is blessed to be home to two amazing teachers: Patt Gregory and Sophie Wilksch, who each have a particular knack for capacity building; both at an individual level – and always with the bigger picture in mind.

Patt runs Woodwork for Women (WfW), and Sophie runs Shedding Community Workshop Inc (SCWI).

Originally run with a focus on empowering women, Patt and Sophie’s courses have expanded over the years and are now gender diverse and highly inclusive.

The basic skillset that beginners acquire at a Shedding Community workshop are carpentry and building related. However, Sophie explains, ‘The focus is foremost on mental health. What you feel is what you create. I care how you feel about what you make, and how you feel while making it.’

‘All the tools we use are easy and adaptable. The teaching of the tools is about how to use your body in a way that makes using the tool easier,’ says Sophie.

She compares this approach to Qi Gong; ‘the energy of using the tools is grounded and calm, and there’s a direction to this grounded calm strength’.

‘There are always different ways to try things out, so mistakes are www.echo.net.au/made-here

Sophie Wilksch Shedding.com.au

Patt Gregory Pat@woodworkforwomen

celebrated. Our workshops focus on the idea that the skill of being adaptable and flexible is better than the skill of perfection.’

learned from Patt have gained the skills and confidence to build deck extensions, move a wall in their home, become a master spoonmaker, and one 15-year-old girl went on to complete a luxury yacht fit-out apprenticeship. Patt says women often come to her having had a lifelong interest, but never feeling that they were ‘allowed’ to be competent, let alone skilled, in carpentry, woodwork or building.

‘There are always different ways to try things out, so mistakes are celebrated.’

Similarly, in WfW, Patt Gregory’s teaching is practical and multilayered. Participants learn the skills to build a basic shelf unit, but they also learn the ‘key words in the language of building and making things. Learning any language is empowering knowledge. By the end of the course – you’ll speak the lingo,’ says Patt.

Patt ‘poohpoohs’ knowing how to do scale drawings, believing that ‘it often gets in the way of actually making things.’ She prefers the ‘dance of design’, where students ‘learn to assess a space in a practical way and to look at the object you want to make as a jigsaw-like process.’ This approach, says Patt ‘eases the dilemma of design that often stymies actual product.’

As well as ten years in the building trade, Sophie Wilksch was a student of Patt’s. Other women who have

People now travel long distances, including interstate, to attend one of Patt’s three-day short courses. Sophie’s workshops have expanded from one day per week teaching four people, to teaching eight to ten people four days a week. Sophie says ‘When I started the shedding workshops I thought it would peter out after a while, but it just keeps growing. There’s a really clear need for this space and the networking hub it provides.’

To participate in Woodwork for Women or join Shedding Community Workshop Inc is to be part of the personal and community resilience building zeitgeist – and to have a great time in the process. Thanks to a digital version of Patt’s 2010 selfpublished book becoming available soon, Patt is looking forward to supporting people all over the world to learn these practical and inspiring skills.

MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021 7

FOR YOUR BODY

URBAN BUFFALO Hidden in the hills of Main Arm in Byron Shire’s only microfoundry, Alex Polo creates wearable sculptures. Urban Buffalo’s ethos is simple; each piece is designed to last a lifetime, an expression in form for future generations to cherish. Limited run pieces designed to delight with private commissions welcome.

0428 606 006 www.urbanbuffalo.com

BANGALOW SHOE MAKING Looking to get an imagined or already loved item brought to life? Rachel custom makes bespoke items from her workshop, including footwear and leathergoods, bags, accessories, motorbike gear, upholstery, saddlery and more. She specialises in remakes, restorations, orthopaedic shoes, and repairs. She also offers exciting vegan options.

Contact her for more info. No job too small!

Contact via bangalowshoemaking.com or 0403 721 840.

DON’T LET YOUR SUNNIES GO TO WASTE Over a billion pairs of sunglasses are thrown away every year, usually because of a simple scratch. The good people at Sunglass Fix don’t think that’s right.

They believe that we are all ‘what we do’. That ordinary people and small actions can change the world.

They fix sunglasses. This is what they do. Custom cutting lenses to order for any style and brand, from Armani to Oakley and everything in between.

In fact, they are global leaders in their field. Pioneers in precision made replacement lenses.

And with over 250,000 lens options you’re sure to find a pair to revive your favourite sunglasses.

Through one small and simple action, you keep your sunnies and lend a helping hand to the planet. Sunglass Fix. Ordinary local people, doing one thing extraordinarily well.

18 Mogo Place, Billinudgel Order online at www.sunglassfix.com

MADE IN MULLUM ARTISAN COLLECTIVE Your one-stop gift shop and art gallery for everything handmade locally in Mullumbimby. More than 42 local artisans and producers trading under the same roof.

Made in Mullum is a unique collective that is run by local entrepreneurs and artisans, so when you buy in-store you can meet and chat to the creators themselves. All money spent goes directly back into the pocket of the creators. It doesn’t get any more ‘Shop Local’ than that!

You never know what you will find in store... Locally produced teas, chocolate, exquisite jewellery, unique clothing, tie dye kits, toys, craft kits, original artworks, and cards. Gift vouchers available.

Come and say hello, be creatively inspired!

Open seven days a week 9am–5.30pm (Sunday 10am–2pm) 22 Burringbar Street, Mullumbimby Insta/fB @madeinmullum 8 MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021

www.echo.net.au/made-here

FOR YOUR BODY

BUY LOCAL. BUY HANDMADE. GIVE SOMETHING UNIQUE AND SPECIAL.

CONSCIOUS CRYSTAL CUTTING ‘What I know about crystals, is that whoever cuts the crystal, programs the crystal.

It is indelible, cut into the very structure of the crystal, and cannot be cleansed by any method.

Whatever was happening for whomever was cutting the crystal is imprinted into the crystal as it is cut.

If you are cutting a crystal for abundance and were worried about money, that imprint would go into the very matrix of the crystal as it was being cut, likewise if you were nursing the pain of a broken heart, the imprint would go into the crystal at the time of cutting.

If it is machine cut, it has the soul of the machine – disconnected from kinetic source energy.

With this knowledge I learnt to cut crystals, consciously.’

Jon Veranese creates power pieces, altar adornments and has begun to set his work in precious metals, as well as the Alchemy of the Weft and the Weave, settings woven in hemp with intention and coded wisdom. ​Got a broken crystal or rock that needs repairing?

Let Jon restore its glory.

Jon Veranese www.ptahrocks.com 0411 031 301

AHNOTION BALANCE BOARDS All boards are handmade in Main Arm. They offer five different shapes made from birch, a lightweight hardwood, and now also camphor laurel from their property, milled locally. The boards come fully treated and sealed with slip resistant top coat, making them weather resistant and safe to travel with.

The factory is 100% self-sufficient and runs solely on solar power. Balance Boards are used for general balance training, brain development, fitness, physiotherapy and much more.

They benefit users all year around as they can be ridden indoors or outdoors. Riding regularly increases strength and stability in your core muscles, improving not only posture and spine positioning, but also working all joints and ligaments from the chest down, providing an overall workout that is fun and challenging. Life is all about balance. Buy a board today, start to shred tomorrow! www.ahnotion.com www.echo.net.au/made-here

MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021 9

FOR YOUR BODY

ANNELIES ELLANORA JEWELLERY Annelies is a trade qualified manufacturing jeweller, designer and gemologist who specialises in creating bespoke, fine jewellery. With 15 years of experience working for awardwinning boutique jewellers in Tasmania, Annelies handcrafts exquisite pieces of jewellery that are both stunning and timeless.

Every job is treated with personal care and consideration.

Whether it’s repairing a favourite piece of jewellery, creating a custom design that you’ve always wanted to realise, or remodelling a sentimental piece, Annelies will collaborate with clients to help bring their vision to life. Annelies can source unique stones of exceptional quality from a vast network of exclusive suppliers of ethical diamonds and gemstones to suit any design and budget.

The Annelies Ellanora Jewellery workshop can be found in Electric Mermaid located in Brunswick Heads.

(Inside Electric Mermaid) Shop 3/28 Mullumbimbi Street, Brunswick Heads 0409 070 786 Insta @annelies.ellanora.jewellery anneliesellanorajewellery.com.au

CRISTINA ART SILVER Cristina Art Silver is available at the Hammer & Hand Metalsmith collective located in Station street Bangalow, open seven days.

She is fortunate to have access to some of the best metalsmith artists in this community within the Hammer & Hand collective, with access to ten mentors from jewellery, sculpture, and blacksmith backgrounds.

Inspired by the natural beauty of this area and influenced by the conscious and ethical awareness in this area, she tries her best to source local stones and use recycled metal to create unique bespoke jewellery.

Available at Hammer & Hand Jewellery Collective, Shop 8/10 Station Street, Bangalow.

Open seven days, 10am–3.30pm.

Instagram @cristina_art_silver Facebook @cristina www.cristina.com.au

When you buy from a small local business you’re not helping a CEO buy a third holiday home.

You’re helping put food on a table and hopefully a dream comes true.

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www.echo.net.au/made-here

FOR YOUR BODY

HAMMER AND HAND A diverse range of artisan jewellery, sculptures, objects, and all things metal are showcased at Hammer & Hand Jewellery and Metal Collective.

Open every day with local artists on site, you can meet the makers and see them at work to get a taste of their vibrant local arts community and pick up a unique piece of jewellery or sculpture as well as hand painted cards.

Open 7 days 10am–3.30pm.

Shop 8/10 Station Street, Bangalow 0409 960 614 hammerandhand.com.au FB & IG HammerAndHandBangalow

Shopping locally made Creates more jobs Keeps money in the local economy Encourages the creative spirit Supports the environment

HONEY HUNT STYLE Honey Hunt founder Jules has been making and creating for a long time. The brand was born out of a desire to fashion comfortable clothing for women that makes them feel great on the inside while looking gorgeous on the outside. You’ll love this year’s summer range of luxurious cotton linen dresses adorned with Jules’ artwork. ‘It’s all about being cool, comfortable and relaxed with minimal effort’. Their offer to you is simple: making it easy to buy well made clothes that last and are beautiful to wear. New also, stretch skirts from recycled fabrics. Dress up in their latest blossom design leggings, a signature staple – and the world’s most comfortable leggings – all perfect for our laidback lifestyle.

Shop online or in the Byron store and enjoy seeing the beautiful apparel in the process of creation. Honey Hunt is proudly Australian Made. What more could a girl want!

Shop 2/1 Centennial Cct, Byron Arts & Industry Estate 0408 766 546 www.honeyhunt.style

IN THE RAW BYRON BAY This truly natural skincare is formulated and handcrafted locally, with the intention of bringing you the purest form of natural skincare possible. Steph Finigan is the founder and skincare formulator of In The Raw. With over 20 years experience in the beauty industry and a Diploma in natural and organic skincare formulation, Steph creates her line of products here in the Byron Shire. With studio stores located in both Mullumbimby and Byron Bay, you’ll follow your nose in search of the heavenly scent and often find her out back creating alchemy.

The beautiful range of body products is entirely handcrafted from start to finish, and each product is presented in recyclable glass with a focus on sustainability and minimum impact to the environment.

Natural and organic skincare, free from anything but nature’s raw goodness. Vegan friendly, preservative and toxic free.

Shop 3/78 Dalley st Mullumbimby Shop 1B/11 Banksia Drive Byron Bay www.intherawbyronbay.com.au www.echo.net.au/made-here

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The Craft of Creativity T

here are many ways to express creativity. There is, however, no definitive equation for how creativity works. Few studies have been attempted, and historically creativity has continued to confound science. When you think about this, it’s rather fitting, as the ability to rationalise creativity would be counterintuitive to the work itself. Similarly, not knowing how it works has meant creativity is often attributed to being ‘otherworldly’ or a biological gift.

As a result of these ideas, Jonah Lehrer points out in Imagine: How Creativity Works, that ‘we cling to a series of false myths about what creativity is and where it comes from. These myths don’t just mislead – they also interfere with the imagi-nation’. How? By inferring that all you need to do is wait for the genius, and if it does not arrive on cue people mistakenly conclude that the person is not creative.

Nietzsche writes in Human, All Too Human that ‘Artists have an interest in the existence of a belief in the sudden occurrence of ideas, in so-called inspirations; as though the idea of a work of art, a poem, the basic proposition of

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a philosophy flashed down from heaven like a ray of divine grace… in effect… all the great artists have been great workers, inexhaustible not only in invention but also in rejecting, sifting, transforming, ordering.’

‘Creativity becomes the movement between progress and reflecting, which involves hard work, a sense of play, and intention.’

In essence, the creativity becomes the movement between progress and reflecting, which involves hard work, a sense of play, and intention. There is however, also a feeling of constantly arriving at the beginning. You need only look at Beethoven’s notebooks and how his most celebrated melodies were an arrangement chosen from countless beginnings.

While passion, theory, and practice are integral to exploring and developing a creative project, the inner critic can inhibit its progression. In a 2008 study by Charles Limb and Allen Braun, published in PLoS ONE, six professional jazz musicians were engaged to play specially designed keyboards, in order to observe creative expression. Observers noted that during improvisation the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is connected to planning, inhibitions and self-censorship, became less active. This suggested

that through the practise of improvisation a dexterity of freedom of expression happens, which has also been described as being ‘in the zone’.

Inspiration is, of course, of equal importance. Here the imagination plays its part, which in reality is how we make sense of the world; how we navigate our belonging, which for the many is a contested space and therefore serves as a conduit for creativity. The action to convey, transform and rupture the status quo by forming new connections in the gaps of old ideas.

David Whyte writes, in Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity, about how William Blake observed the advent of the factory as it became a feature of western society. Blake stood firm, recognising that nothing had changed, that people still needed a sense of belonging, ‘that we must come to know these currents that surround us in an intimate way and build… the directional movement that results in a close conversation’.

In other words, expressing these close conversations with and about ‘the human experience’ is the role of the artist. How exactly this comes about remains, in part, a mystery – most of all to the artist themselves.

www.echo.net.au/made-here

FOR YOUR COMMUNITY

THE HISTORY OF THE ECHO The Echo was first made, physically, from brains, labour and machinery located right here in the Byron Shire, but it was also made directly from the essence of the alternative culture of Byron Shire, a left of centre culture opposed to the arrogance of wealth and power, somewhat larrikin in tone, but vitally interested in community building.

One of The Echo’s founders, Nicholas Shand, was one of the informal leaders of the Main Arm hippies, who was concerned about the blatant human rights abuses by police during marijuana raids during the eighties, but couldn’t get the local media to report them.

The other, David Lovejoy, had trekked from London to Sydney, much of it through India and Asia and some of it on foot, and had been the head of the Australian followers of an Indian guru before he settled in Wilsons Creek. What’s more, he had state-of-the art photosetting and camera machinery in his shed.

David Lovejoy

Nicholas Shand

The first Echo darkroom was lined with black plastic garbage bags, and a colossal effort was required to produce just 3,000 copies of the first 20-page paper. When the paper was produced in Brunswick Heads it wasn’t much faster!

The modern Echo has come a long way, about 200m in fact from our first office. In our current office we used sheets of proper black plastic to make a darkroom from half of the toilet, but even those have been torn down, and a server tower now shares the toilet cubicle. We produce more than eight times the number of papers each week, in a tenth of the time, the paper is two or three times as big, and the distribution system far more widespread and complex.

Whilst the Shands still live in their original house, the Lovejoys live in Mullumbimby and Upper Main Arm, but some of the dozens of people now working each week for the paper even live, gasp, in the Ballina, Lismore and Tweed shires. We’ve found it essential, if you’re writing about a place, to actually have people on the ground. We feel that the community of our area is still interested in community building, and although the community is more diverse these days people still recognise The Echo as their paper, and if we’re not reporting the news in the way that suits them we’ll hear about it pretty soon – which, to us, is a good thing!

Read more of The Echo’s history on our website: echo.net.au/tag/echo-history-articles/

www.echo.net.au/made-here

The first ever Echo!

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FOR YOUR THIRST

BYRON BAY HEMPIRE Established in 2017.

Byron Bay Hempire kombucha is crafted in sacred surroundings using ancient techniques. A natural fermenting process occurs from unique scobies in Byron Bay. A transmutation into liquid gold, a process of metamorphosis.

This live culture becomes a highly unique elixir with God- and Goddess-like qualities, high vibrations, and organic flavours from nature.

Hand brewed, hand bottled, labelled, and hand delivered to stores in the local area from ONE passionate and creative local woman, bringing high quality, REAL RAW ALIVE kombucha to you!

Drink as a cold refreshing medicinal beverage, or as a mixer with your favourite spirits.

Each batch is made in small quantity and naturally left to carbonate with the real culture still alive inside, so all the bubbles that reach your tummy are natural and create a true kombucha probiotic to enhance your gut health!

This kombucha is high strength hard core kombucha brewed for pirates!

Orders: Byron Hempire 0432 186 955 | Hempiremanager@gmail.com

North Coast Market Guide Always a great day out, the NSW North Coast’s craft and food markets are full of fun for the whole family! The Echo’s Market Guide is the best place to easily find all the local monthly markets and the weekly farmers’ markets from around the Northern Rivers / North Coast. You can find this guide online at www.echo.net.au/market-guide and in the classifieds section of the Byron Echo.

MONTHLY MARKETS 1st SAT Brunswick Heads – 0410 785 554 1st SAT Alstonville – 0429 019 407 1st SUN Byron Bay – 6685 6807 1st SUN Lismore Car Boot – 6628 7333 2nd SAT Flea Market, Bangalow – 0490 335 498 2nd SAT Woodburn – 0439 489 631 2nd SUN The Channon – 6688 6433 2nd SUN Tabulam Hall – 0490 329 159 2nd SUN Coolangatta 3rd SAT Mullumbimby – 6684 3370 3rd SAT Murwillumbah Makers & Finders – 0413 804 024 3rd SUN Federal – 0403 577 694 3rd SUN Uki – 0487 329 150 3rd SUN Lismore Car Boot – 6628 7333 3rd SUN Ballina – 6687 4328 4th SAT 4th SAT 4th SAT 4th SAT

Flea Market, Byron YAC Evans Head – 0439 489 631 Wilson Creek – 6684 0299 Kyogle Bazaar – kyogletogether.org.au/bazaar

4th SUN Bangalow – 6687 1911 4th SUN Nimbin – 0475 135 764 4th SUN Murwillumbah Showground – 0422 565 168 4th SUN Coolangatta (in a 5 Sunday month) 5th SAT Flea Market, Bangalow – 0490 335 498 5th SUN Nimbin – 0458 506 000 14 MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021

FARMERS/WEEKLY MARKETS Each TUE New Brighton – 6677 1345 Each TUE Organic Lismore – 6628 1084 Each WED 7–11am Murwillumbah – 6684 7834 Each WED 3–6pm Nimbin – 0475 135 764 Each WED 4–7pm Newrybar Hall Each THU 8–11am Byron Bay – 6687 1137 Each THU 2.30–6pm Lismore – 0401 190 912 Each FRI 7–11am Mullumbimby – 6677 1345 Each SAT 8–11am Bangalow – 6687 1137 Each SAT 4–9pm Byron Artisan Market (summer only) – 6685 6807 Each SAT 8am–1pm Uki – 6679 5530 Each SAT 8.30am–12pm Blue Knob Gallery Each SAT 8.30am–11am Lismore Markets – 0466 415 172 Each SUN 7–11am Ballina Commemoration Park – 0493 102 137 www.echo.net.au/made-here

FOR YOUR THIRST

PYEWACKET’S TRADITIONAL Plant based drinks for health and cheer.

Pyewacket’s Traditional specialises in hand crafted mixers for botanical sodas or cocktails. These concentrates, known as shrubs, are made from locally grown and foraged fruits and herbs fermented on organic apple cider vinegar.

Shop the range of tonics, Fire Cider, and bitters online or in store. Free local delivery using code LOCAL. 59 Bridge Street, North Lismore Pyewacketstraditional.com

BUN COFFEE

“The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.”

– Dieter F Uchtdorf

Hand roasting in the traditional style in the Byron A&I Estate since 2005, the local Bun Coffee Roastery and Espresso Bar specialises in Certified Organic, Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance and Australian Grown beans along with a huge range of unique Single Origin beans. It’s a favourite among locals, who never tire of their daily ritual of a cup of coffee and a friendly chat basking in the morning sun with their local baristas.

Since Bun Coffee began, their customers’ love, knowledge, and demand for coffee has grown with them, and they now roast over 80 single origins from across the globe, sharing the origin story of the specific farms, regions and countries and further supporting the farmers and communities that provide this wonderful crop.

Bun Coffee are incredibly grateful for the loyal support of their customers and local staff, which enables them to continue growing their coffee offerings to the local community and beyond.

Visit them at the roastery door 7am–4pm Mon to Fri and 7am–11am Sat. 1A Banksia Drive, Byron Bay.

KOALA TEA Did you know that Koala Tea is a local family owned company that has been in Alstonville for over 30 years and is the original Australian Certified Organic makers of herbal teas.

They create a wide variety of delicious teas that are manufactured into individually wrapped, unbleached heat sealed compostable tea bags, all packed into recyclable cardboard packaging, right here on the North Coast, in their own factory.

They offer free delivery to local businesses wishing to stock their teas. Contact them for more information. We’d love to hear from you. info@koalatea.net.au ph 02 6628 6363 www.koalatea.com.au

www.echo.net.au/made-here

MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021 15

FOR YOUR THIRST

BROOKIE’S GIN Highly awarded Brookie’s range is handcrafted in Byron hinterland in the heart of the subtropical rainforest surrounding the Brook Family farm.

30 years ago the Brook family regenerated and replanted over 40,000 subtropical rainforest trees. It is this unique rainforest where many of the botanicals are sourced to create the Brookie’s range. capebyrondistillery.com | info@capebyrondistillery.com 02 6684 7961 | 80 St. Helena Road, McLeods Shoot

WINDING ROAD DISTILLING CO. Winding Road Distilling Co. is a small-batch craft distillery located – appropriately – down a winding country road in Tintenbar. It is owned and operated by long-time locals Camille and Mark Awad, who are hands-on with every aspect of the business. Whether it’s fermenting, distilling, filling barrels or bottles, labelling or deliveries, they do it all.

They love their connections to the local community, from collaborations with other producers to chats with customers.

Their passion shows in their commitment to producing worldclass spirits that hero local ingredients first and foremost.

Their releases have won numerous awards and broad acclaim.

At present, Winding Road Distilling Co. offers their Citrus and Sea Gin, Coastal Cane Pure Single Rum, Agricole Blanc Virgin Cane Spirit, and 50 Mile Coffee Liqueur. They have other expressions in the works as well and will be releasing a Single Malt Whisky in the coming months. Exciting times are ahead! www.windingroaddistilling.com.au 0432 318 282 info@windingroaddistilling.com.au

CABARITA SPIRITS – HOME OF SOLTERA RUM Cabarita Spirits is on a mission to make beautiful booze in the spirit of cheerful enjoyment.

Meticulously handcrafted in Cabarita Beach from 100 per cent local ingredients, their spiced cane spirit Blanco is a delight in cocktails that call for spirit with sass.

Available now at your local bottlo’ and at www.cabaritaspirits.com

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BYRON BAY SPIRITS The Byron Bay Spirits distillery is located in Tyagarah, a short distance north along the beach from Byron Bay. They are all about lovingly creating a product that celebrates the riches of our region; enjoying responsibly and contributing meaningfully back to our community.

They carefully distill in small batches, which allows them to control the quality of the spirit produced in a way that large distillers cannot do. They use only the finest, natural ingredients. Botanicals are carefully selected and prepared for each batch and master Distiller, Luca Bolzoni, lovingly blends the distillates with fresh honey to create Byron Bees, their signature spirit encapsulating the riches of our region.

They are not currently open to the public, but you can order online or pick up a bottle from most bottle shops in Byron Shire. Or why not enjoy a glass at Fresh Cafe, The Balcony, Loft, Treehouse, and many other leading venues.

Byronbayspirits.com Instagram: byronbayspiritscompany Facebook: byronbayspirits

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FOR YOUR THIRST

When buying from a maker, you’re buying more than just an object.

You are buying hundreds of hours of failures and experimentation. You are buying days, weeks and months of frustration and moments of pure joy. You aren’t just buying a thing.

You are buying a piece of heart, part of a soul, a moment of someone’s life. You are buying the maker more time to do something they love, and that is a gift to us all.

TWO MATES BREWING Two Mates Brewing will commence brewing late September.

It’s been a long journey for Grant Smith and Andrew Newton, one that started in Jan 2020. They have created a family friendly space that will provide Lismore and the Northern Rivers a facility that encompasses all the Northern Rivers has to offer.

Operating out of a 150+ year old rail shed in South Lismore, the facility showcases the historic aspect of the area, whilst giving the community a place to relax and enjoy local produce and cold craft beers.

Two Mates has launched its online store, offering its Railyard line of Ciders, Ginger Beer, and Kombucha. In October their beer lines will come on board, with a range of craft beers available online.

They plan to open the taphouse (Thursday PM, Friday PM, Saturday and Sunday) mid to late October.

Jump online and follow the journey, and don’t forget to place your orders! www.twomatesbrewing.com.au

Davidson Plum Photo: Tessa Cookson Forage Byron Bay @foragebyronbay

VENTURA BREWING Ventura Brewing is the coast’s newest craft brewery and makers of Australia’s first artisanal alcoholic kombucha. A premium, all natural, and easy drinking alternative to beer, wine and cider.

Craft brewed in limited small batches and infused with organic botanicals for a flavour that’s smooth, aromatic, and refreshing.

Pair with good company for easy enjoyable drinking.

Available online at www.venturabrewing.co Insta: @ventura_brewing www.echo.net.au/made-here

MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021 17

FOR YOUR HUNGER

ECLAIR AT THE BAY Indulge yourself and your family with a selection of delicious and unique treats. Eclair at the Bay is a local homemade pastry business dedicated entirely to the creation of contemporary eclairs and luxury desserts (tarts, profiteroles, cakes).

Delivery & Pickup option • Market stall.

Special orders events & weddings. www.eclairatthebay.com / info@eclairatthebay.com

BROOKFARM It starts on the family farm…. 30 years ago a dream to move to the country and a passion for quality healthy food sparked Pam and Martin Brook to transform a run-down dairy farm in the Byron Bay hinterland into a working macadamia farm and to regenerate an ancient sub-tropical rainforest. In 2000, with sons Will and Eddie in tow, the first Brookfarm macadamia products were sold at the Bangalow Markets.

Brookfarm is now a leading gourmet food producer with products sold all around the world. Their award-winning range of macadamia muesli, granola, and snacks are packed with wholesome natural ingredients and cater for gluten free, vegan, paleo, and keto diets. Baked locally in their Byron Bay bakehouse, they never compromise on quality, they always create real food using real ingredients, and most importantly, they make sure it tastes amazing.

A family business, Brookfarm is now led by eldest son Will, with Pam leading innovation in the family kitchen and Martin leading the way in regenerative farming, rainforest and wildlife restoration, having planted over 40,000 trees and more recently installing 13 wildlife boxes on the farm.

To read more or find local stockists – www.brookfarm.com.au

DILECTIO Dilectio is a young cheese brand with an old soul. Driven by a passion for a better world for people and the planet, they are creating gourmet cheeses with clean, modern ingredients.

With old-world methods and new-world values, they’re reimagining the cheeseboard and reinventing gourmet.

Dilectio takes the magic of plants and the wonders of centuries of cheesemaking to create indulgent cheese experiences, that just happen to be plant-based. They dream in cheese and they dream of a world where cheese indulgence doesn’t have to cost us the Earth.

Find their plant-based range in your local Santos Organics and Byron Supa IGA. Made with Love & Cashews. Enjoy the cheeses of tomorrow, today.

02 6623 0023 dilectio.com.au @dilectiogourmet facebook.com/DilectioGourmet 18 MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021

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FOR YOUR HUNGER

ALIVE AND WILD PLANT-BASED GASTRONOMY You are what you eat…

Desire something delicious and nutritious to ground and nurture your group as you traverse the path of self-discovery?

Stock your pantry. Do you need to cater for a special occasion, dinner, soiree, party or canapés? Alive and Wild uses fresh local produce, all organic, biodynamic, and spray free.

Original recipes. Simple food done well. Servicing the Byron Shire since 2008.

PLANTGASM platters, picnics and gastronomical experiences feature Alive and Wild fermented nut cheese and organic raw cacao, with gluten, wheat, dairy, and refined sugar free taste sensations suitable for vegan, vegetarian, and flexitarians that will awaken a jaded palate and satisfy the hangry.

A CHEF’S POCKET

Vicki Veranese www.aliveandwild.com 0412 400 085

Sit back, relax and enjoy your next dinner party with your own private chefs. Andres and Franco from A Chef’s Pocket offer a unique catering service, preparing the food of your choice in the comfort of your own home or holiday accommodation in Byron Bay and the Northern Rivers region.

They will work with you to create a custom menu to delight your taste buds. They are both Peruvian and love cooking their food, but are always open to new challenges. They also love highlighting local, fresh produce that is only available in this beautiful area. Check out the menus on their website and on their social media (Facebook and Instagram). www.achefspocket.com FB: @achefspocket Insta: @a.chefs.pocket

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MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021 19

FOR YOUR HUNGER

STIMULATE YOUR LOVE AFFAIR Byron Bay’s unique creperie and chocolate boutique invites you on a journey of love and celebration. Established in 2014, Love Byron Bay cultivates an understanding of cocoa with a vast selection of artisan and vegan chocolates. It fires the imagination with unique chocolate encounters, dessert and savoury (V) crepes, French cakes, and melted hot chocolate beverages. It elevates the mood with delicious gourmet rocky road, a local’s love affair – hand made with tempered chocolate, binding together marshmallows, coconut, seasalted caramel, raspberry jellies, nuts, and feel good flavours that taste so good! Caress this love affair with your tongue and invite your taste buds to transcend the everyday.

Dedicated to sourcing, creating and sharing a quality chocolate experience, Love Byron Bay Creperie & Chocolate boutique offers an essential service. love-byronbay.com 2 Lawson St Boutique (next to Spar) Open 7 days a week 10am–10pm PH: (02) 66857974 Instagram @lovebyronbayccb

HEMP FOODS AUSTRALIA Hemp seeds have long been consumed as a staple food around the world, but they have only been legally classed as a food for human consumption in Australia since 2017!

Today, they are also hailed as a superfood, thanks to their extraordinary nutrient profile. Hemp seeds and the products created from them, such as protein powder and oil, are exceptionally nutritious. Hemp seed oil consists of the ‘good fats’, namely omega 3, 6 and 9 essential fatty acids. With 40 per cent less saturated fat than olive oil, and a fatty acid profile that is superior to flaxseed oil, hemp seed oil is also one of the healthiest culinary oils. Hemp protein, as well as being a complete easy-to-digest protein source is also a wholefood nutrition powerhouse, packed with iron, magnesium, thiamine and zinc!

Hemp Foods Australia, founded in Byron in 1999, is the largest hemp foods organisation in the Southern Hemisphere. They exist to make a positive difference for people, the community and the planet. Their headquarters are still in Byron Shire, in beautiful Bangalow. The close-knit team are dedicated to quality, sustainability and value. Seeds are sourced from a variety of locations, including Tasmania, for their Australian grown seeds and internationally for their ACO certified organic seeds.

Their hemp products are stocked in many health foods stores and local food shops. Or, head over to hempfoods.com.au for delivery direct to your door. Sign-up to their newsletter and receive a recipe book curated by leading food bloggers and 10 per cent off your first order! hempfoods.com.au 20 MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021

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FOR YOUR HUNGER

HAPPY LOCAL HONEY BEES MAKE MANUKA SUPERFOOD Tyagarah Apiaries is a family run company near Byron Bay that’s headed up by Master Apiarist, Mike Howes. Mike and his family have been ethically harvesting Australia’s Manuka Honey and culinary honey from select locations within Northern NSW since 1998.

‘We love what we do and care a lot about achieving the highest standards possible through the whole honey process, from ethically caring for our bees to harvesting and naturally processing at our honey farm in Tyagarah,’ said Mike.

Australia’s Manuka honey is a superfood with unique benefits not found in ordinary honey. It is rich in bioactive compounds and enzymes that have antibacterial and wound healing properties. It’s also high in phenolic compounds and antioxidants that improve immunity while reducing inflammation and free radical damage.

‘Our brand appeals to locals and overseas consumers and the demand for it is amazing. It’s such a unique, clean, and natural product; after they’ve tried it once, people always want more.’

Get yours from Byron Farmers Market, Fundies – Byron, The Bay Grocer, Baz & Shaz – Suffolk, Santos – Byron and Mullum, and from Mullum Herbals. Or from Mike’s website. www.australiasmanuka.com.au Checkout with coupon code LOCAL for 10 per cent off your first order.

KNOX & AYA Discovering that none of their family members could tolerate dairy, Horst and Nadine starting making alternative treats at home.

Five years ago, they decided to share their coconut milk ice cream with others, then after many requests, they began making coconut yogurt. Their satisfyingly silky, naturally tart and thick coconut yogurt is packaged in a jar, which can be reused by you or returned to them for re-use. Pairing perfectly with anything from curries to bircher bowls, Knox & Aya yogurt is nourishing in a way that can only be reached with live probiotic cultures and their natural fermentation method.

They hope you find their yogurt as enlivening, uplifting, and indulgent as they do!

From their solar powered premises they produce ice cream sandwiches, brownie bites, dream cheese, yogurt, and ice cream all in reusable or compostable packaging, available through local independent retailers.

Instagram: @knoxandaya Website knoxandaya.com

“Creativity is intelligence having fun.”

–Albert Einstein

Photo supplied @hammerandhandbangalow www.echo.net.au/made-here

MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021 21

Connecting through Culture Eli Cook First Nations people are innately creative. Our ability to persistently adapt, adjust, and solve problems has allowed us to survive on one of the world’s harshest continents for tens of thousands of years. This creativity crossed boundaries from the distinctly obvious examples of rock painting, to the more subtle but intricate art of cultural burning.

Our ability to teach through dance, song, and art have kept our stories alive for countless generations, allowing our culture and customs to continually thrive.

In recent times, First Nations creativity has become emboldened.

Our art now crossing media into a space of boundless possibilities.

At the core of our creativity is our connection to the landscape. Kylie Caldwell, whose business operates under her own name, says, ‘My creations are always influenced by culture, it’s inseparable’. Kylie began as a sole trader in 2008 but recently established her business in 2020. She specialises in the creation of traditionally woven wares and handmade ceramic bowls. Each of her pieces is completely original and takes hours to produce.

Kylie describes her creative process as, ‘Flexible, intuitive and responsive to what is happening around me at any given time’. Such a process is common amongst First Nations artists; Kris Cook of Kristopher Cook Photography explains of his creative process how he ‘walks on country, visiting places of significance and waits for the best moment to capture their beauty’.

What’s spectacular about modern First Nations creativity is the deep feeling of connection designers feel to their ancestors within the artistic process. Many will sit for hours, absorbing the energy from the country itself and allowing that energy to guide them towards a 22 MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021

result. It is an organic process that allows for truly unique pieces of work.

‘Yidabal Galii Maa’ which is a Bundjalung term for ‘connecting strong to spirit’, is a local familyowned business specialising in the production of traditional artifacts. Their signature piece is the ‘bagal’ or bark coolamon that are created using a process that has been handed down. Each piece is completely dependent upon the shape of the tree and involves ceremonial processes to ensure the health of the tree and protection of the site from where each coolamon was taken.

As First Nations creativity has evolved, so has our ability to share its products and allow others to appreciate our work. Indigenous owned businesses have increased by more than 74 per cent in the last decade (Evans & Polidano, 2021) with a large proportion of those businesses operating in the production and sale of hand made products. Such is the growth of the Indigenous business sector that it now contributes close to $4.9 billion to the economy annually (Evans & Polidano, 2021).

Long ago our people shared their creativity between nations

and participated in trade at huge gatherings that required some clan groups to travel for weeks, or even months, to attend. These gatherings ceased with the impacts of European colonisation, and that had major ramifications for our ability and confidence to share our creativity. Today, we have an assertive group of creatives pushing forward. There are new avenues enabled by modern technology, and our people have created massive online communities in which our products are shared and sold.

Such a movement has, in a way, allowed us to gather as we once did, giving rise to a new generation of businesses creating enterprise and building strength within our communities, with the benefits spreading far and wide.

Reference: https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/thepower-of-the-indigenous-business-sector

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FOR YOUR HUNGER

GATHER BY – WORLD-PREMIUM AUSTRALIAN MANUKA HONEY. Gather By produces pure, raw, and delicious medicinal and therapeutic Australian Manuka Honey from healthy bees working in the pristine bushland of the Northern Rivers.

Extensive medical research over the last 40 years has shown Manuka Honey to be highly beneficial for human health and wellness. MGO is the main molecule, measured in parts per million, that provides strong antibiotic and antibacterial benefits. Their products are packaged in jars and sachets in grades from MGO100 to MGO1,000+.

Their honey has a wide range of proven applications including: gut health, general health and wellness, strep throats, skin treatment and infections, first aid, burns, and wound care. The honey has been tested and is effective for up to 80 different pathogenic bacteria including the MRSA ‘superbug’.

This region of the Northern Rivers is home to a wide variety of Australian native plants, whose ‘highly-active’ nectar the bees harvest, producing the highest potency Manuka honey. Gather By has developed a new way of ‘farming honey’ that involves plantings of Australian native bush in a way that increases local biodiversity and strengthens bee and pollinator habitat.

1/200 Southern Cross Drive (adjacent to Ballina/Byron Airport) 02 4022 9597 gatherby.org/shop (large orders receive free postage). sales@gatherby.org

WE, THE MANY* – RESTORING THE PLANET ONE BREKKY BOWL AT A TIME We, the many* is on a mission to help sustain the planet and the people on it in the healthiest possible way by investing 50 per cent of profits into carbon reduction projects while ensuring people have access to healthy, nutritious, and delicious food.

We, the many* is the coming together of a group of environmentally conscious families in Byron Bay, Australia — The Brook family of Brookfarm & Cape Byron Distillery and Jamie Cook and Brad Rogers of Stone & Wood, who, together with the help of the community in Jan 2021 launched a new sustainable business model where the environment is at the core and not the afterthought.

Their carbon neutral range of granolas and porridges are produced locally in the Bay with real all natural ingredients.

Each includes a unique set of superfoods chosen to help optimise health – green banana flour supporting gut health, beetroot for energy levels, and turmeric for recovery.

So now in addition to enjoying a highly nutritious breakfast, you can also play an active role in restoring our planet, one brekky bowl at a time.

To join their movement, read more, find local stockists, or shop online: wethemany.com.au @we.themany

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MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021 23

FOR YOUR HUNGER

BANGALOW BREAD CO. Located in the historic village of Bangalow, a short ride from Byron Bay, Bangalow Bread Co. showcases the diversity of the wonderful local region of the Northern Rivers. Offering seasonal food sourced from artisan producers and local farmers, they bring the age old trade of baking into the modern world. Get ready to be taken all the way back to your childhood with nostalgic memories of reimagined chocolate fudge slice.

Since opening their doors in 2019, owners Tyson and Jess Phillips have been delivering wholesome baked goodness to the community, producing a range of gut loving sourdough breads daily, made traditionally and slowly fermented for a minimum of 24 hours to ensure that delicious taste and perfect chew. Look no further for all your traditional bakery items, and so much more. Selecting other local producers with similar ideals was of the utmost importance for Tyson and Jess, who quickly partnered with the legends from Old Quarter Coffee Merchants, who source and supply sustainable coffee beans from farming partners around the globe.

With all of their products produced on site, including hand rolled pastries baked fresh every morning, it’s not hard to see why there is a line out the door every day of the week.

You'll need to get in early for their brioche doughnuts filled with Nutella! With a rotating display of delectables, the hardest thing will be deciding between a slice of their famous carrot cake or a chunky olive oil cookie that dreams are made of. The regulars say you can’t go past their vanilla slice made with butter puff pastry and passion fruit icing, but we'll leave that decision up to you.

The offerings don’t stop at sweet treats – housemade pies made with slow cooked beef are all cooked on site, as are sandwiches made using fresh sourdough and including a variety of fillings. A must-try is the popular ‘Reuben sandwich’, which boasts layers of silverside, traditional sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and a not-so-modest serving of housemade Russian sauce. Yum! 12 Byron Street, Bangalow 6687 1209 Insta: @bangalowbreadco

24 MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021

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FOR YOUR HUNGER

LIFE CYKEL Life Cykel is a versatile, forward thinking and high ethos company that focuses on harnessing the circular economy and the great potential that mushrooms possess to create quality products for human and planetary health.

BYRON BAY CACAO After ten years of wholesale trading from their small factory, Byron Bay Cacao’s stunning new retail space is now open to the public. The industrial-style factory offers a unique experience and is fast becoming a favourite spot for locals and visitors to the region. Watch the chocolatier in action from the viewing window while you choose from the range of artisan chocolates and enjoy a coffee, chai, iced drink, or their local and in-house baked goods in the sunshine-soaked outdoor seating area.

Byron Bay Cacao offers gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, eggfree, refined sugar-free cakes and chocolate products to cater to the masses. If you are stuck for gift ideas, vouchers are available for purchase. The team is excited to launch a new bon-bon range in November, showcasing Australian ingredients and collaborations with local suppliers, with a launch to follow each season. Driven by passion and inspired by community, Byron Bay Cacao creates smiles, happiness and joy with every bite of their artisan chocolates and custom cakes.

‘We are proud of our invaluable partnership with the Byron Bay Herb Nursery, who, with the help of the amazing team of individuals there, produce our Alkaline Greens and Bee Pollination Grow Kits.’ These are made from a special repurposed coffee compost soil, prepared with coffee grounds collected from around Australia. By integrating the circular economy into these products it inspires new attitudes towards waste utilisation, fresh homegrown food, and supporting the natural environment. Another great example of this is their Kombucha SCOBY, where you can produce litres of your own delicious homegrown Kombucha, saving the need to purchase more bottles, reducing waste. Life Cykel’s Grow & Gift a Tree Program is also supported by the Byron Bay Herb Nursery, where native plants are grown and then gifted to local communities and programs that need them. They greatly value, and strive to collaborate with, like-minded businesses and communities to create positive change. www.lifecykel.com | Info@lifecykel.com | Socials: @lifecykel

Pop in and grab a Toby’s Estate coffee and sample their delectable range of chocolates!

Unit 4/20–22 DeHavilland Crescent, Ballina (extra parking on Southern Cross Drive). info@byronbaycacao.com 0412 095 815

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MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021 25

FOR YOUR HUNGER

FED UP WITH COOKING? OR JUST SHORT ON TIME? Dinner Is Served are solving the dinner dilemma for the Northern Rivers community with their delicious, nourishing range of heat-and-serve meals. Lovingly prepared by their chefs with the best fresh, local ingredients, and delivered in fully compostable packaging, choosing a local ready meal that ticks all the boxes has never been easier.

With a weekly-changing menu of seasonal meals inspired by flavours from around the world, there is always a dish that will delight. Each week offers new fresh meals and fabulous freezer favourites, so you’re never stuck for a meal in minutes.

Whether you’re dining alone or feeding a group, their meals offer an easy and delicious way to look after yourself and your family. Find out what all the fuss is about with 20 per cent off your first order. Use code LOCAL20 www.cookaborough.com/dinner-is-served. www.dinnerisserved.com.au

3 SIMPLE STEPS: SAUTÉ, SIMMER & SERVE Easy. Delicious. Healthy. Satvik Foods’ wholesome recipes will have you coming back for seconds.

Operating on a ley line between the two houses of sisters, this small business nourishes and feeds a community.

Satvik Foods was a natural extension of an already colourful and vibrant upbringing around the lush hills and rivers of the Wollumbin caldera.

A fusion of Indian influence of Krishna consciousness and fast paced western lifestyle, these delicious whole food products are super quick and easy to prepare.

For over a decade their beautifully seasoned dhals, royal rice, and quinoa have become a staple in household pantries all over Australia, confirming you can cultivate business that is both ethical and sustainable.

From pack to plate in 15 minutes, their wholesome recipes will have the entire family coming back for more.

Order online now. Echo readers receive a special discount: ECHOTAKE15 for 15 per cent off your purchase.

FLAVOURS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN MADE IN BYRON BAY

satvikfoods.com.au info@satvikfoods.com.au

The Byron Bay Olive Co. team are super proud of the delicious flavours of their Mediterranean inspired product range, produced in their kitchen in the Byron Industrial estate.

They provide food that is both tasty and super healthy, with their regular customers including their range as a part of their weekly food diet.

Their sweet garlic, with its unique flavour and no bad breath, has become a talking point at many a social gathering.

Their combined cafe and deli has now become a destination for you to grab a Mediterranean flavoured sandwich for lunch while also picking up some of their much loved products.

You can visit them Monday to Friday 9am–3.30pm or visit their website and order ready for pick up.

Their deli, cafe, and kitchen is located at 2/29 Brigantine St, Byron Bay www.byronbayoliveco.com 0431 842 340 Instagram and facebook – byronbayoliveco 26 MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021

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KEEPING IT LOCAL The way to ward off ghost towns Eve Jeffery Have you ever been to a ghost town? I have. It’s creepy. There are houses – often new ones – empty. Streets are windswept and shopfronts are vacant. Perfectly good schools are closed for lack of students, and community facilities stand stark, their gardens sunburnt.

‘It also reduces food miles and keeps the money in the community,’ she told Made Here.

But how do ghost towns happen?

They happen when an industry or a natural resource dries up, they happen when the population ages and dies and no young people are left, because there’s no work and it is impossible to afford the cost of living.

Employ locals

Mining towns are a perfect example of this, especially towns that rely on FIFOs (fly in fly out), where median rents have been known to fall from $1,200 per week to $300 per week – in the space of a week.

When there’s no steady community of people in the town to sustain it after the ‘boom’ has busted, then you get a ghost town.

So, can this happen on the Far North Coast? Probably not, but as has happened in Byron Bay, towns can become too expensive for the locals and they move on. (Hands up any local who doesn’t know anyone who’s left Byron because it got too expensive… I thought so.)

The Echo asked some North Coast locals what they see as the remedy for keeping communities thriving.

Shop local

‘It’s just good all round – it keeps money flowing back around and helps more local businesses and community groups.’

The recent public health orders have also highlighted the challenges of living in a border community.

Marie Singer runs a small family construction business in the Byron Shire and they employ seven people. She says it’s important to support local business and community. ‘Recently we started a job just across the border and then restrictions meant our workers couldn’t get to the job site.

Fortunately, they had other jobs here to go to, but tools had been left in Queensland, so more tools had to be bought to continue here.’

Peter Wells is the market manager of the Lismore Produce Market that is held in Magellan Street every Thursday 3–6pm. Mr Wells says that supporting small local businesses is how the Northern Rivers functions.

‘Employment is difficult in this area, there are so many entrepreneurs opening small business in all industries and especially farming and the food industries.’

Mr Wells believes that by keeping money in the local community that you build a better and more sustainable local economy. ‘It’s also important for our community that opportunities for young people exist. It helps our business as well as creating longevity for employees.

There is such an ever-growing community here, and recently many have moved here from unaffordable cities, so the available employment for young people has become smaller and smaller.’

Cr Cherry says that it is also important for local councils that opportunities for young people exist in the local community.

‘We spend a lot of time trying to get the balance right for youth in our area; to keep them engaged and have a healthy lifestyle and provide opportunities for them to meet and just spend time. There is a danger of losing young people from the community because of the lack of university [places] and job and training opportunities.’

Cr Cherry also says that local food production is a big issue she cares about. ‘We need to protect our rural lands so that they can be the food bowl resource we will increasingly need with climate change.’

Keeping it local is the answer – treat people and businesses like they are part of your extended family.

By helping them to grow and be sustainable, you are helping yourself and your family’s future too.

Tweed Shire Mayor, Chris Cherry, lives and works in the Tweed and says that shopping locally is incredibly important for supporting local family businesses.

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MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021 27

FOR YOUR PET

FOR YOUR HOME

AUSSIE SQUAWKERS Arguably Australia’s most entertaining birds, budgies, parrots, cockatoos, and galahs, give us so much joy without even being aware of it. They will also wake us up at the crack of dawn with a noisy fly-over or a messy morning gum-blossom feed, but we love them anyway.

Tamsin Smyth has created a series of illustrated portraits that pay tribute to the great squeakers and squawkers of the Australian bush: The Cheeky Cockatiel, The Great Galah, The Bashful Budgie, and The Regal Rosella.

Tamsin works with Hound & Bone Studio who are famous for the quality of their fine art printing. Prints will fit off the shelf A4, A3, and A2 poster frames.

Simple and perfect for a modern or rustic home.

TamsinSmythDesign print shop is on Etsy.

I LOVE A DOG Do you love a dog? Local canine nutrition specialists I Love a Dog want to help you ‘feed them like you love them’. Their range of super nutritious, human grade meal modules and natural medicine supplements make it easy to keep them shining inside and out.

Inspired by their dog Ruby’s cancer journey that saw her reach remission against the odds for years, they’ve since been helping thousands of dogs around the country to boost their immunity and soothe inflammation naturally. Both dogs and their dog lovers love it.

Their range features turmeric, hemp, medicinal mushrooms, raw veggies, and more. Whether soothing an ailment or giving them the best of health to avoid illness altogether, give your loved dog good health naturally every day.

Get recipes, nutritional advice and check out their range at www.iloveadog.com.au or shop locally at Bay Grocer, Hemp Culture, Santos Organics Mullumbimby, Luther & Co, and 100% Pets.

DAVINA J BAMBRICK PHOTOGRAPHY What better time than a new season to update your holiday accommodation or rental listing with new imagery. More than a place to stay, many of your guests will be using your space as an escape from reality. Photography of your accommodation should show the layout, features, and highlight the ambience and character of the space.

Specialising in landscape, interior and lifestyle photography, Davina’s style is natural, instinctive, and down to earth. As a freelance photographer, Davina has had the pleasure of working with some iconic Australian lifestyle magazines, builders and stylists and is now taking bookings for interior photo shoots.

Davina is also one of Australasia’s Top Emerging Photographers, having been acknowledged in the last three years for her Landscape & Travel imagery.

Visit www.davinajbambrickphotography.format.com for more details of her work.

Bookings and details hello@davinajbambrick.com.au Phone 0439 078 317 28 MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021

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FOR YOUR HOME

WOOD BY MOSSY Wood by Mossy is all about being Earth friendly and testing the boundaries of what can be created from locally sourced recycled timber. They offer a varied collection of Australian handcrafted timber homeware products and accessories, that are designed to be beautiful, functional and individual.

They also do commission orders and restore antiques.

Contact Caz or Wayne on: 0414 462 106 woodbymossy@gmail.com www.woodbymossy.com.au Instagram and Facebook: Wood by Mossy

STUDIO SUVIRA Potter, ceramic artist, sculptor…. All of those and more! It’s hard to pinpoint Suvira’s practice after decades of experience with clay, fire, and the tools of a many-sided sculptor. He has been an active member of the Byron arts community for many years and now resides in Mullumbimby where his studio and gallery/home showroom are located on site.

Renowned for his uniquely crafted wares for dining, tea and other daily rituals, he also produces a wide range of vessels for floral arts including for ikebana, an ancient Japanese form.

It doesn’t stop there though, as he is intensely engaged in the production of large vessels, sculpture and wall panels depicting landscape abstractions.

The beautiful garden surroundings present his characteristic sculptural works produced over the years; a diverse collection showing a versatile skill set.

The gallery and showroom are open most Saturdays and any other day by arrangement.

Call Suvira on 0402 125 922 to make a time to call by…

For tea perhaps?

28 Left Bank Road, Mullumbimby

THE ORGANIC CERAMICS CO. A small, locally owned and operated family business located in Mullumbimby, the Organic Ceramics Co. pride themselves on using recycled and environmentally friendly materials to create the highest quality furniture as a lightweight alternative to concrete furniture. Their products are designed to be, not only aesthetically pleasing and functional, but also to reduce our carbon footprint.

THE CUTTING BOARD COMPANY Let’s cut to the cheese: for the perfect chopping board, they’ve got you covered. Their long-lasting and high-quality Australian hardwood boards come in a range of sizes and can be custom made for an extra personal touch. Locally owned and made in Lismore. Go to thecuttingboardcompany.com.au to explore their range today. info@thecuttingboardcompany.com.au 02 6624 5771 / 0419 160 265 7/22 Snow St, South Lismore www.thecuttingboardcompany.com.au www.echo.net.au/made-here

They design and build a range of venetian plaster furniture perfect for every home. Every piece of furniture is carefully handmade with attention to every detail to achieve a highquality finish. As each piece is handmade, no two pieces will ever be identical, which means each item is completely unique.

Micro Cement is a hygienic, zero VOC and durable product developed for commercial floor toppings. The micro cement they use has been developed in conjunction with high grade sealers to achieve a durable Venetian plaster finish.

0493 035 807 theorganicceramicsco@gmail.com www.organicceramicsco.com Instagram @theorganicceramicsco MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021 29

FOR YOUR HOME

FLOWFORMS AUSTRALIA Manufactured in the Byron Shire for over thirty years, Flowforms are found the world over in public and private gardens because of the inherent functionality in their design. Designed with principles studied in nature, Flowforms represent sculpture emulating nature.

Practical and beautiful, Flowforms are ideal water features for landscape projects. Create a feature that is inviting and calming. The secret is the rhythmic movement of the water, making sounds like those of a mountain stream or waterfall.

Incorporate Flowforms in a natural pool and wetland. Reduce the cost and environmental impact of keeping a traditional pool. Discover the benefits of natural pools. Converting your traditional pool creates an oasis for plants and wildlife, as well as changing your relationship with your pool. Benefit from your landscape, even in the winter months.

Get in touch with them to discuss how they can help you create your slice of paradise.

0428 606 006 www.flowforms.com.au

HEATHER STEVENSON GOOSEHOUSE DESIGNS A professional mosaic artist for over twenty years, Heather works primarily in marble and smalti, using a hammer and hardie in the classical tradition.

Her abstract art pieces are modern explorations of texture, line and structure.

Her art pieces and commissioned works are installed in homes and work spaces in NSW and Qld. Heather also offers on-going classes in both mosaics and leadlighting. goosehousedesigns.com.au

CASCADE CONCRETE Cascade Concrete was born from a love (and 20+ years of experience) of concrete and good design. Cascade Concrete specialises in creating high quality, hand-crafted architectural concrete pieces for residential and commercial spaces such as benchtops, vanities, basins, fireplace plinths, outdoor living, and more.

Support living artists.

The dead ones don’t need it.

Collaborating with builders, interior designers, architects, and homeowners, Cascade Concrete creates custom bespoke pieces as well as offering a range of made-to-order, handcrafted basins at set sizes. Featuring a palette of 14 colours (or the option to colour match to suit your project) – the possibilities are endless.

Based in the Northern Rivers, the Cascade Concrete team pride themselves on providing excellent customer service and specialist installation of benchtops and vanities in the local area. Keep your eye out for a showroom opening in Alstonville in November 2021.

Give Brett a call to discuss your next project.

0407 915 684 www.cascadeconcrete.com.au @cascade_concrete 30 MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021

www.echo.net.au/made-here

BUDDY-UP To bring your idea to life Ross Kendall Local creatives and entrepreneurs looking to develop their idea into a thriving business face plenty of challenges. But they also have ready access to experienced advice and mentoring as well as skills development and networking programs.

Mentoring services from experienced and proven professionals in their fields are on offer from two locally focused organisations – Build, Grow, Run and Sourdough Business Pathways.

Build, Grow, Run (BGR) is a federally funded service currently advising more than 400 clients in the Northern Rivers. They help businesses from the ground up; to start up, to ramp up, and those established businesses who are facing fresh challenges.

The service is ‘broad, but also very tailored,’ pin pointing and supporting the needs of each individual client, says one of the program’s ‘entrepreneurship facilitators’, Ellie Corley.

‘No matter if you are in the prelaunch phase and putting together a business plan, or an established business moving into a new phase – like taking on more staff – then the BGR team can help in each of these areas,’ she says.

Professional mentoring is also a key service of Sourdough Business Pathways (SBP), a notfor-profit organisation that’s been supporting local businesses in the area since 2008.

The group has access to 70 experienced professionals who offer mentoring across a range of market sectors on a pro bono basis. The organisation’s catch www.echo.net.au/made-here

cry is ‘to give businesses the right advice, at the right time’.

‘Sourdough typically helps businesses that want to scale up, but have hit a wall, or they may be trying to bring in a new innovation and need support,’ Fiona Sheridan, SBP General Manager told Made Here.

There is also a focus on getting the necessary structures like accounting, invoicing, cash-flow and payroll systems in place and working smoothly together, to allow for successful growth.

‘People new to business can be very passionate about their ideas, but this needs to be backed up with solid business principles,’ Fiona says. ‘We can help with that.

It’s about guiding, not coaching.

We help people understand their next step and what services they need.’

The organisation is focused on growing the local economy and jobs and encourages ethical and sustainable business practices and outcomes.

For example, SBP has a program run by women for women, to empower them in the business arena. There are also more indepth programs available, such as U-Lab, which is a program to help bring to life change and new ideas, and the Pre-Acclerator Program, which is ‘an intense business birthing course’.

business and its needs. BGR is a free service, and SBP charges an admin fee of $95.

Both providers place an emphasis on business owners expanding their connections by hosting regular networking events for them and organising tailored introductions.

They also host regular workshops to improve particular skills of entrepreneurship, such as: personal confidence, maximising online opportunities, understanding buyer behaviour, and getting the best from technology.

‘A lot of people in business can feel quite isolated, so we come in as an additional team member to offer a helping hand,’ Ellie said.

Surprisingly, the pandemic has seen an increase in the number of people getting into business. Ellie sees this as a kind of sharpened focus; ‘People are taking the leap and figuring – if not now, then when?’ she said.

Many businesses are also suffering deeply, particularly those in hospitality and tourism. ‘It’s heartbreaking to see what you have worked so hard on fall apart,’ she said. In this environment mental health first aid has also become a key offering to local businesses.

The first step to getting involved with these organisations is through their websites; owners register and describe their MADE HERE OCTOBER 2021 31

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