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L to R. Trevor Racklyeft, Pam Hore, Ken Little, George Saad
Thirty-five years ago on the 9th May, Ken and wife Judy opened Ken Little’s Quality Fruit & Vege in the Colonial Arcade. Chrissy Jones had the pleasure of chatting with Ken about his career in the fruit and vegetable industry and his business journey…
K
en, you have a passion for fruit and vegetables that spans a 35 year career. Where did you get your start? I grew up on a farm at Ben Lomond between Guyra and Glen Innes up until I was 10 years old; we grew potatoes, peas and corn, and had sheep and cattle. I was picking peas from 4 or 5 years old; that’s where it all started. I went to school and used to go to my sister’s farm picking peas every year out there, helping her out. After I completed my HSC, I went to Sydney and didn’t like it. I came back to Port Macquarie and asked for a job in the fruit and vege department in Woolworths (where the old
Food For Less site is now) with Trevor Racklyeft. He gave me a start; that was when I was 19. I worked there all told six years, then I opened a fruit shop in 1976 opposite the Port Macquarie Court House, where Mike’s Seafood is currently for 12 months - I sold it, and George Saad offered me a position. I worked for him for seven years. George supplied all the Woolworths stores between Taree and Coffs Harbour. I was the manager of the shed, buying the fruit and vege. I learned a lot working with George. But as I was working long hours for him, I thought I may as well work for myself. That’s when in 1983, on the 9th May, we opened in the middle of Colonial Arcade with
George supplied all the Woolworths stores between Taree and Coffs Harbour. I
was the manager of the Ken Little’s Quality Fruit as the road was basically & Vege. shut off in front of us shed, buying the fruit Tell us about your for 12 months, our retail and vege. I learned a lot business journey… trade was practically lost working with George. We were in the overnight; we only had our middle of Colonial wholesale side. We then Arcade for 18 months moved to Munster Street, and the shop at the and started again. front of the arcade became available, so we At first there were 70 year old cool rooms moved. This gave us more space, and we were and a wooden shed; it used to be a wholesale quite successful. We remained there until 1992, fruit and vege depot in the ‘50s and ‘60s - I but as we couldn’t expand in that arcade, we used to work there with George Saad. After moved down the road to Peach Tree Walk trading for about six months, the health Arcade. We were there for about three years. inspector came in and said you can’t trade with In 1995 they started to build Port Central and wooden floors in fruit shops. I gave him a two