More Taste, Less Waste

A big congratulations to Kelly Johnson from Woodlane Orchard, who has just taken out the Sustainability Award at this year’s Food South Australia Awards.

To celebrate her recent win, we thought it was the perfect time to replay our episode with Kelly from last year where she talks about how Woodlane Orchard came to be, the thinking behind SPhiker, and what drives her commitment to doing things differently.

Kelly's business revolves around purchasing surplus produce from local farmers and transforming it into dehydrated products like soups, meals, snacks, and garnishes. Tune in as we chat about:

• The establishment of Woodlane Orchard and how it was born out of necessity for employment and the realisation of surplus produce going to waste.

• How Kelly sources her produce directly from farmers, focusing on obtaining "ugly" and second-hand produce that would otherwise be discarded.

• The reality is that much of the excess fruit that doesn't meet supermarket standards is allowed to rot as farmers can't afford the labour costs associated with harvesting them.

•  Why Woodlane Orchard creates family-sized meals as well as smaller, lightweight meals for hikers and caravanners under the Sphiker brand.

• Kelly now has a compostable packaging solution, aiming to make her business 100% sustainable in the future.

• The reason for advocacy towards a local circular economy system where one central hub coordinates the distribution of surplus food among businessesand local industries.

This podcast is brought to you by Honey & Fox, where theirpassion is food and the people who produce it. Honey & Fox specialise in getting you in front of the right people, in the right place, at the right time. Find out more at www.honeyandfox.com.au.

Bio: Kelly Johnson

After 15 years as a Scout Leader, Kelly Johnson knew a thing or two about creating fast, tasty meals that didn’t relyon refrigeration. Drawing on that experience, she launched Woodlane Orchard in 2019 with a clear goal: to make the most of surplus and seconds produce. Based in the Murraylands region of South Australia, Kelly sources locally and transforms what others might overlook into dehydrated soups, meals, snacks and garnishes. Her practical, no-waste approach celebrates local food, supports farmers, and shows that with a bit of creativity, there’s plenty of value inwhat’s left behind.

Links

https://www.woodlaneorchard.com.au/

https://www.sphiker.com.au/

https://www.honeyandfox.com.au/

https://thegreatunwaste.com.au/

https://endfoodwaste.com.au/

Social Media Tags

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/sphiker.com.au/

https://www.instagram.com/woodlaneorchard/

https://www.instagram.com/foodwastematters_podcast/

https://www.instagram.com/honey_and_fox/

https://www.instagram.com/thegreatunwaste/

https://www.instagram.com/endfoodwasteaus/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/woodlaneorchard/

https://www.facebook.com/Sphiker/

https://www.facebook.com/HoneyandFox/

https://www.facebook.com/thegreatunwaste/

https://www.facebook.com/EndFoodWasteAus/

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/company/woodlane-orchard

https://au.linkedin.com/company/honey-&-fox-pty-ltd

https://au.linkedin.com/company/endfoodwasteaus