Road to Recyclability - Revisit our roots...

Last week we announced some exciting news regarding recyclable packaging - an incredible step in our sustainability journey. As we embark on our Road to Recyclability we want to revisit the roots of our environmental focus.

We purchased our Byron Bay Hinterland property in 1988 as a rundown dairy farm begging for a new more prosperous life and so began our process of replanting. The farm is in the middle of an area known as the Big Scrub, which used to consist of hectares of luscious rainforest – the largest subtropical rainforest on the East coast. During European settlement the thriving forest was cleared for cattle farming and by 1900 all that was left was 1% of the Big Scrub. When we purchased the property, we agreed to make it our mission to help regenerate this 1% and provide a natural corridor for native species to pass through as they once did. In doing so we planted around 4,200 macadamia trees and 30,000 sub-tropical rainforest trees, creating a biological haven.

Once the trees had eventually matured in 2000, we started developing natural and toasted macadamia muesli recipes. Production began with help from a friend who allowed us to use their industrial ovens at the local bakery in the early mornings. Our boys, Will and Eddie, would then be tasked with packing the bags of product to be sold every Saturday at the Bangalow Farmers Markets. It was an all hands on deck affair!

Brookfarm is the result of our family’s dedication to their mission and decades of hard work and nurturing. Thirty years on, the Big Scrub Landcare conservation project and countless environmental practices remain at the heart of everything we do and strive to achieve at Brookfarm. It’s not simply a marketing addition to the company’s messaging. An authentic respect for the environment and a dedication to lessening the company’s environmental footprint forms the foundation of Brookfarm’s business practices. We founded their business with this sustainable focus aiming to not only enrich the native environment but also our  customers’ lives with whole, healthy, natural and local ingredients.

“Sustainability is what we do,” says Pam Brook “It permeates through every facet of Brookfarm and has done since day one. It’s just the natural, logical way to do things if you care at all about the place we live.”

As with many perishable food producers, packaging can be a challenge in ensuring freshness and shelf life whilst striving for sustainable options. Currently our packaging falls within the Recycle 7 category, which applies to any food packaging in sealed plastic printed bags, ensuring freshness and a 12-month shelf life – anything less would be considered food waste. We are working tirelessly with Omniverse Foster Packaging Group Pty Ltd, to prototype and develop packaging that can keep our #realfood fresh and can be recycled in Australia. This latest innovation is the start of our commitment to you our customers and to the environment.

We continue to endorse our core values of Environment, Community, Real Food, as we ask you to join our newest journey on our #BFRoadtoRecyclability