Flame Tree Co-op

The Flame Tree Community Food Co-op needs your immediate help to take the next step for a sustainable future.

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Our Story:

The Flame Tree Community Food Co-op is a member owned and largely volunteer-run not-for-profit organisation, providing members and the wider community with access to healthy food from our shop in the beautiful coastal town of Thirroul.  Any small profits are reinvested, providing more value to our members and the community.

We are united by our commitment to the core values of healthy, locally grown, organic, sustainably sourced eco-friendly food with minimal packaging, and the democratic business model of the co-operative.

Image: ABC Illawarra

Ten years ago, we had our first meeting to bring this concept to life. After two and a half years of planning, fundraising, and operating as a buying group out of one member's garage, we secured the smallest of spaces to set up a shop, and the Flame Tree Community Food Co-op was officially open for business. We then expanded further into our existing shop front.

We have continued to grow our sales and membership each year. Over the years, we have faced and overcome many challenges to fund  increased demand for our products and the growing interest in being a part of the Co-op.   We now have an opportunity to expand further, but we need your help!

Our Challenge: 

Although Flame Tree is much loved, trading just above "break-even" point very successfully for some time, we do not have the capital resources to grow our co-op for our members and the community.  We're selling  more fresh local food than ever and being supported by almost 600  wonderful members, and we've grown out of our current premises.  We now need an urgent "cash bump" to fund a move and new shop fit-out!

We weren't anticipating this rate of growth or the need (and opportunity!) to make this move, so we haven't put aside anything like enough money to do it from savings. That's why we are asking for your help to cover these one-off costs to make this happen!

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Our Future:

Helped by the funding from this campaign, here’s what the future holds for the Flame Tree Co-op:

• Customer parking space at a prominent position on the Thirroul High Street
• A dedicated cool room to expand the supply and range of fresh local produce we’re able to stock
• More general storage capacity to increase stock levels to meet current demand and further support the growing number of local producers in our region
• An increase in the reliability and regularity of our supply
• An additional Point of Sale system to improve customer service
• New and easy-to-use filling containers to make bulk products more accessible
• Premises deigned for our purposes

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• Design, build plans, and building certification     $11,000

• New shop doors / internal wall, plastering and paint     $4,000  

• Shop flooring    $6,000    

• Electrical / Lighting    $4,000    Plumbing    $2,500    

• Kitchen and new wash sink equipment    $2,500    

• Staff & Volunteer lockers, kitchenette    $1,000    

• New shop Signage (external / internal)    $3,500    

• Additional point of sale system    $4,000    

• New front counter (with additional cash register)      $3,500    

• Fruit and Vegetable tiered shelving           $2,500    

• New food dispensers  (scoop bins and gravity feeders)    $10,000    

• Shelving    $3,500    

• Cool room shelves    $1,000    

• Cool room (back filling with Glass doors)    $14,000    

• Security Deposit for new shop lease     $5,000    

Total     $78,000

If we don't reach our target then the Co-op would face an uncertain future in our current location.  We don't want to face the prospect of closing and losing the only food co-op in the entire Illawarra.

Please help us ensure the future of Flame Tree Co-op, bigger and better than ever!

Being a delivery driver takes our volunteers to some wonderful local farms.

Our beautiful fresh produce delivery!

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A happy snap of the co-op's directors, Paul, Karla, Sally, Helen and Justin.

Mahbrooks Organics, a local farm visit.

Harry from Dapto Community Farm (DCF) showing off his celery. Locally grown chemical-free celery is a bit of a rarity.

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Locally made gorgeous moisturizers.

Organic rice supplier, Tim, from Randall Organic Rice.

Some of our favourite goodies.

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Enjoying the Green Connect farm in Warrawong.

Gerry sharing the bounty of bananas grown in his Austinmer backyard.

Happiness is a bountiful box of fresh locally grown produce grown, all from Harrod Gardens at Dapto Community Farm.

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Carolyn from Makutchen Organics dropping in more local organic kraut and kimchi.

Flame Tree at the local Coledale Markets.

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Rampicanti squash from Dapto Community Farm causing a bit of a stir in the coop.

One of our local market gardeners, Rod Logan.