What started as a way to use up excess tomatoes and onions grown in the southern Riverina changed the course of history for Jill Davis.
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More than two decades ago the English migrant and newcomer to Tocumwal went tomato picking with her friends.
She made her first relish in her country kitchen at Woodville, Tocumwal, on Woolshed Road.
“I’m a Pom; I knew nothing about making tomato relish,” Mrs Davis said.
Her recipe for traditional tomato relish went over well with her friends and when one of them bought a supermarket and another a coffee shop, Mrs Davis had an instant market for her produce.
Initially she supplied her relish to supermarkets at Deniliquin and Berrigan and built up to 38 shops, delicatessens and cafes.
Together with her husband Robin, they built a freestanding commercial kitchen at the Tocumwal farm and brought it with them when they moved to Jindera about 20 years ago.
Then Mrs Davis approached Coles in Melbourne two decades ago about supplying them with her traditional tomato relish before they tasted it and asked her how many stores she’d like to supply.
They had 500 stores at the time but she only wanted to supply one.
“They thought it was hilarious and asked me which one I’d like to supply,” she said.
“I said Albury, but there were nine stories in the Albury cluster.”
The Davis’ built a small factory on their Jindera property for their Jill’s Cuisine label 10 years ago. The couple, who now supply 750 Coles stores nationwide, have dealt with the supermarket for 20 years in 2015.
“We have bottled 1100 jars by lunchtime most days at our smalll Jindera factory,” Mrs Davis said.
“It’s a very streamlined operation; we have two part-time staff.”
Jill’s Cuisine was recognised among Cole’s most valuable suppliers as a finalist in the best In-store execution category at a gala dinner in Melbourne in July.
Mrs Davis said the relish had the same label now as when it started out more than two decades ago.
As for her secret?
“It’s just good old-fashioned tomato relish,” she said.
The relish is also available at independent supermarkets and delicatessens.
