Putting quality WA food on the menu

7th June 2021 | Eativity editors

The Western Australian government is connecting food businesses, buyers and consumers across the Great Southern region with the release of an interactive online WA food guide.

The Great Southern Food and Beverage Capability Guide is a new comprehensive tool to connect WA food and beverage suppliers with retailers, buyers, wholesalers, chefs, caterers, tourism operators, regional events and consumers to promote local business.

Developed through a collaboration between the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the Denmark Chamber of Commerce, the guide includes details about individual business product ranges, sales information, awards and certifications.

The Great Southern is rich in quality produce and experiences, with almost 300 producers and processors spread across the region. The guide is divided into categories covering drinks, bakery and grains, bush foods, chocolate and confectionery, dairy, horticulture and seafood. It will make it easy for users to find exactly what they’re looking for.

WA food: marron

Exploring WA food

The Great Southern guide showcases everything from strawberries and truffles to local seafood like abalone and marron. There’s also wagyu beef, chicken, duck, cheese and wine.

“Buying high-quality produce that remains fresher for longer at a more affordable price not only benefits business; it helps to build connections within communities,” says WA Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan. “It also boosts regional economies. Food tourism is attracting more visitors to our regions. So the Great Southern guide lists farmers’ markets and gourmet events. It also tells the provenance story of each business.”

A guide is already available for the Western Australian Mid-West. The department is working with partners in the Kimberley, Peel, Wheatbelt, Goldfields-Esperance and the Gascoyne regions to produce similar publications. The aim is to provide a complete overview of the great food and beverages the entire state has on offer.

For copies of the Great Southern and Mid-West food guides, head to agric.wa.gov.au

Plating Up WA: to support local WA food businesses

Plating Up WA to support local business

Western Australians have been urged to get out and support local restaurants and the foodservice industry during June, as part of the fourth annual Plating Up WA campaign.

The initiative is more important than ever this year. The industry is still recovering from the impacts of COVID-19, as well as the recent fires in the Perth Hills, floods in Carnarvon and cyclone damage in the Mid-West and Wheatbelt.

Fifty pubs, cafes, wineries, food trucks and fish & chip outlets from Esperance, the South-West, Perth, the Swan Valley, the Mid-West, the Gascoyne and the Pilbara are participating in the promotion. Each of these will feature a “hero dish” championing fresh WA produce.

Chefs were invited to feature ingredients from Buy West Eat Best members in their hero dish to showcase local produce. This also encourages members to develop new supply opportunities in the hospitality and foodservice industries.

The Buy West Eat Best program, with its distinctive bite mark logo, now has more than 185 members from across the supply chain. These include producers, processors, industry associations, retailers, chefs and foodservice businesses.

To view dishes, participating venues and to make a booking, head to platingupwa.com.au