‘Flame Tree Co-op is a gem’

Thirroul’s Flame Tree Food Co-op provides local food, by locals, for all the locals! Stacy Carter reports

Have you ever walked past The Flame Tree Food Co-op and wondered why people shop there, or how it’s different to, say, a health-food store? Here’s your chance to find out!

Flame Tree is a community-run not-for-profit store. It’s not only for members: everyone is very welcome to shop at the Co-op. If you’d like to join, membership is only $35 a year, which gives you a discount on everything you buy. Volunteer for a couple of hours each week and you get a deeper discount. Together, we cooperate to ensure a supply of local, organic and sustainable produce with minimal packaging and waste.

Where did the Co-op come from? In the late 2000s, a small group of locals had a big vision: to eat really good, nutritious food, and live more sustainably, including buying from local suppliers as much as possible. By 2010, the first shop opened: a tiny space at the back of a dress shop in Thirroul. When the dress shop left two years later, the little Co-op took over the extra space and increased its range. The next big year was 2017: a huge community fundraiser! This allowed the Co-op to upgrade to a larger shop across the road, and employ paid staff for the first time.

What can you buy at Flame Tree these days? There’s all the basics: great local bread and milk, local cheese, fresh locally grown fruit and vegetables. There’s lots of bulk food items: grains, cereals, flours, pulses, pastas, sauces, vinegars, spices, tea and coffee, dried fruit and nuts. Supplying in bulk means you can minimise waste and cost by buying exactly the amount you want, at competitive prices. There’s loads of healthy and gourmet products: muesli, delicious chocolates, handmade local tempeh, pickles, sauerkraut and kombucha. And there’s home and body products (many in bulk) as well as gifts. Many of our products are hard to find elsewhere – and so good you’ll keep coming back.

The Co-op is all about supporting local producers, community, sustainability and reducing food miles. Volunteers are the Co-op’s heart, both front of store and behind the scenes.

Visit us at 355 LH Drive in South Thirroul, or at https://flametree.coop/

See you soon!

A co-op shopper's review

By Kim Morland

Flame Tree Co-op is a gem! Anyone can shop for fresh organic seasonal produce without travelling to a farm gate or market.

My favourites are the different potato varieties, fresh veg, fresh sourdough bread delivered daily, plus free range pastured eggs, muesli, yoghurt, nuts, currants, rice, herbs and spices. Prices are competitive, especially with the 10% member’s discount.

I like the co-op’s values: it’s a not-for-profit supporting local farmers and producers. Packaging is minimised. You can use your own carry-bags and containers,
or the co-op’s paper bags and cardboard boxes. Organic certification and place of origin is always labelled, so you can make informed choices.

The friendly staff deserve a big mention. Two managers and many volunteers provide assistance and get you through the checkouts efficiently. They are up for a chat (if that’s your thing) and it’s always a nice encounter!

I have been a member for seven years and can’t imagine life without my weekly co-op shop. If you haven’t yet ventured in, give it a try, you might be pleasantly surprised.