Buy from the bush gift guide: The gifts that keep on giving!
Now, more than ever, the Australian community is coming together to support local businesses!
By Practical Parenting Team
October 28 2020
Now, more than ever, the Australian community is coming together to support local businesses and communities in the wake of COVID-19 and the economic downturn.
So much so that the 'Buy from the Bush (BFTB)' initiative founded by Grace Brennan just last year which used social media to showcase businesses doing it tough due to drought and bushfires has now expand, launching a new online marketplace to connect Aussies with rural businesses in time for Christmas.
With 450,000 followers on social media, BFTB has created real, sustained change that has rippled across the country as more of us seek out local, sustainable shopping options.
The brand-new online emporium, covering everything from fashion (including gorgeous children’s clothing) and homewares to jewellery and art, has more than 250 businesses signed up – the majority of which are female-owned!
We chat with Grace Brennan and get her top suggestions for gifts from the Buy From The Bush Marketplace, which is a safe and secure online hub to discover beautiful and unique products while supporting rural and regional small businesses.
Buy from the bush gift guide: The gifts that keep on giving!
It’s been a year since Buy From The Bush (BFTB) took the nation by storm. (Image: Getty)
Five minutes with Grace Brennan from 'Buy from the Bush'
Tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind BFTB and how you got started.
I grew up in Sydney, however fell in love with a farmer, so moved to live on a sheep and cropping farm in western NSW when I was about 26.
During my time on the land, I have been able to absorb all the wonderful things that the bush has to offer and am inspired to share that with Australians all over the country. My background prior is in community development and as I watched my husband work through this drought I was feeling very helpless. No words or consoling cuddles can detract from the relentless stress and fatigue caused by drought.
I desperately wanted to take action and create a solution to this enormous problem of drought. After a friend told me that her family was 'buying from the bush' for their Kris Kringle, the seed was planted. I created the Buy From The Bush Instagram page at my kitchen bench after being frustrated with an interview on the radio covering drought and though it was, in some ways, a spur of the moment decision which led to a project that I have largely run on the fly, I would say I have been developing key skills and laying the groundwork for this for most of my working life.
Some of the ideas of the businesses are so creative, are there any that stand out to you that blew you away?
There is an incredible offering of creativity, productivity and innovation in Australian bushbusinesses. From beautiful boutiques with curated collections of fashion and homewares to farmers diversifying in to creative trades and many talented women running side hustles to generate alternative income streams. In terms of who stands out, they are all special in their unique way. For example, as a mum, I am obsessed with the Cape Chill swimsuits – they have the most bold and fun prints for my little ones.
(Image: Supplied)
What is some of the feedback you've had from the both the businesses and the buyers that inspires you to keep going?
City shoppers have embraced the campaign with open arms and rural businesses are flourishing with many reporting a significant increase in their sales. One in five (19%) of thebusinesses featuring on Buy from the Bush are now selling to international customers and two in five (39%) have started shipping interstate.
To quote one business – Barb Poulson fromFrank and Enid: “Buy From The Bush saved my business. Saved it. Well it wouldn’t be here. Just excited that the business might be able to grow again.”
It feels really momentous, one year on, that Buy from the Bush still seems to have meaning both among the community of small businesses in the bush, but also customers in the city and across Australia. And with thelaunch of the Buy From The Bush marketplace, we can continue this momentum by connecting these small rural businesses with broader audiences and with PayPal Australia’s help, it’ll be a hugely beneficial movement for rural Australia.
Christmas is fast approaching, what advice do you have for Christmas shoppers this year?
With the pandemic driving so much Christmas shopping online, Aussies will want to get in early to make sure everything arrives on time. My advice is to shop with purpose. Every dollar spent with small rural and regional businesses can help rural communities by protecting jobs, helping businesses stay afloat and keeping the bush economy moving.
People know that when they shop through Buy from the Bush and when they support these bush businesses, money is flowing back into communities at a time that the community really needs support from outside. Through the Buy From The Bush Marketplace, Australians now have an opportunity to support the Australian bush in time for Christmas by discovering and buying from small businesses from all corners of the country and investing in their future. We hope Aussies in the cities and suburbs look to the bush for Christmas shopping this year and by so doing, invest in helping rural communities recover and thrive, and shopping at the Buy FromThe Bush Marketplace via www.buyfromthebush.com.au.
