Lenny Catalano of Spuds and Plums in Mt Gravatt was on the road one early morning on the week of Brisbane’s worst flooding in a decade. With the distribution of fruit and vegetables disrupted by the flooding for at least 48 hours, Mr Catalano wanted to make sure that his customers will not miss out on their essential supplies. Now that’s dedication!
On that day, Mr Catalano and several other independent fruiterers, who also operated as wholesalers at the Brisbane Markets® in Rocklea, worked above and beyond to get everything up and running again.
“We were lucky as we had quite a bit of stock on hand before the floods hit,” Mr Catalano said.
“We were able to manage the situation well, but it took a big effort to make this happen. I was on the road at 4 a.m. to try and source produce and fight the heavy traffic due to flooded streets, but I wanted to make sure my customers could get what they needed.
“With the supermarkets not having much produce at all, we ended up being very busy.”
“The floods are a great example of how local fruit and veg shops and their suppliers did not give up during difficult times. We came together, rolled up our sleeves, and did what we had to do to get the supply chain going and to get stock onto shelves.”
With their efforts, Brisbane Markets® was ready to operate within 24 hours of cleaning up.
Despite the great work done to get trade back up and running, there is much still to do, and consumers can help by buying locally. Supporting independent fruit and veg providers, such as Spuds and Plums in Mt Gravatt, also means supporting the businesses that operate from the Brisbane Markets®, most of which have suffered significant losses from the floods.
Local, independent fruit and veg shops provide customers with a better choice of quality, freshness, and service. They give customers the opportunity to shop as close to home as possible while supporting their local community.
