The withdrawal of The Barossa Co-op’s supermarket from the Foodland Banner Group has triggered the creation of the largest independent regional supermarket in Australia. Trading under its new brand, Barossa Fresh, the co-operative’s supermarket will, for the first time ever in its 77-year history, have the ability to determine what products it will carry, where it sources them from and at what price it will sell them.
When the Co-operative joined the Foodland banner 57 years ago, it had been trading simply as a part of the co-operative. The Managing Director of The Barossa Co-op, Neil Retallick, reflected, “At that time, the supermarket was the first and only Foodland store in the Barossa Valley. Today there are three with a fourth now being developed at Freeling.”
Over the years, the Co-op’s supermarket has continued to evolve its food offer. Barossa Fresh employs four butchers and has a meat offer second to none. It is proud to be able to offer customers premium quality Hutton Vale lamb, and for those that enjoy their steak with some age, dry aged beef is available.
The in-store bakery within Barossa Fresh has been recognised as the best bakery in any independent supermarket in Australia, awarded the Metcash Bakery Department of the Year in 2020. In addition to the in-store baking, there are many products sourced from the local bakers of the Barossa.
Other independent supermarket operators have described the fruit and veg offer at Barossa Fresh as the best in any supermarket in South Australia. Seafood has also been a focus for the last 12 months with the store developing a reputation as the best seafood retailer in the Valley.
Dylan Murdoch, Food Division Business Leader at The Barossa Co-op, is proud of the store’s support of local producers, “Barossa Fresh purchases from 46 local suppliers, more than any other supermarket in the region. Our customers can access all of these products in one convenient location.”
Anyone who has visited Barossa Fresh will know it has the best selection of cheeses outside of the Adelaide Central Market. There are more than 150 different cheeses on offer, from local Barossa producers and across the world.
“A limiting factor of the Foodland catalogue is that none of the fabulous fresh food offerings at Barossa Fresh could be promoted in it. For a catalogue reader, Barossa Fresh looked the same as the other Foodland stores in the Valley when, in fact, what it offers is much more”, said the Marketing Manager at The Barossa Co-op, Claire Doughty.
For Barossa Fresh, an important consideration has been communication. There are many customers of Barossa Fresh that drive long distances to enjoy the Barossa Fresh shopping experience.
“The limited distribution of the Foodland catalogue has meant that these customers were not being engaged on a regular basis”, according to Claire. “Our own catalogue is to be distributed more widely.”
The Barossa Co-op has now entered into a supply agreement with Brave Logistics, the wholesale operations of Drake’s Supermarkets. Brave Logistics is the grocery wholesaler to all of the Drake’s Supermarkets in South Australia.
“Food is a significant cost for all families”, said Neil Retallick. “A major benefit of moving to Brave is that the cost of many everyday products has reduced significantly. We will be able to stretch our customers’ dollars further”.
In the first week of the launch of the new Barossa Fresh supermarket, the shelf prices of more than 1,800 products across the grocery, frozen and dairy departments will be reduced. In addition, a new range of budget-priced products, the Value brand, are being introduced in order to drop the entry-price into many product categories.
This new supply agreement has created new branding for the supermarket. The term Barossa Fresh has been associated with The Barossa Co-op’s supermarket for more than 20 years, therefore it was logical that this descriptive term is to step up and become the new brand. The new colour is reflective of the fresh produce supplied in-store. Ripe plums, fresh berries, rhubarb, beetroot and many more. The golden rays invoke the sunshine that is a necessity for the growth of fresh produce.
“This evolution of our supermarket is built on the hard work of the countless people who have worked over the last 76 years to create the supermarket that exists today,” said Rebecca Tolhurst, Chair of The Barossa Co-op. “It behoves us to continue that evolution. Our members and the value we are able to provide them, remain our focus.”
