Restaurant secures deal with local farmer
Despite the logistical challenges, a Western Australian restaurant is persisting with its mission to source locally produced grain and has locked in a farmer to supply it.
Up to 700 kilograms of mace wheat is purchased each week from a grower in Kendenup for the Due South restaurant in Albany, on the state's south coast.
Executive chef at Due South, Kenny McHardy, shows off the restaurant's custom-made flour mill, which chews through up to 50 kilograms of wheat per hour.
Executive chef Kenny McHardy then processes it, bag by bag, through a $10,000 white oak custom-built mill for items on the menu like Turkish bread and semolina to coat grilled fish.
"It's been a bit of a logistical nightmare for us, getting the bread right," Mr McHardy said.
"Probably more stressful than opening the restaurant was actually trying to source wheat direct from the farmer.
"It was definitely a struggle, to the point where we almost threw the towel in."
The business tried and tested two farmers' products prior to approaching the current supplier, after problems with low proteins in the end-product flours.
To secure supply, Mr McHardy said 40 tonnes of wheat were now being stored on the Kendenup farm, 70 kilometres north of the restaurant.
"We've got a good price. We compete well with Cooperative Bulk Handling actually, so we're looking at 40 cents a kilo recovery weight."
Apart from the marketing edge of using local ingredients, Mr McHardy said it made more economic sense to mill and bake on site than it did to buy in loaves in from elsewhere.
"It's also the appreciation of knowing we're making our bread ourselves," he said.
"It's the satisfaction for us more than anything, a labour of love."
Source: ABC Rural May 28th 2015
