Rutherglen businesses Valentines and Woodstock Flour team up on wholewheat and rye breads

With supermarket shelves stripped of many food staples owing to staff shortages and transport issues intermittently, food insecurity has hit home for many people.

Border and North East bakery business Valentines started using Woodstock Flour wholewheat and rye products in spring after the Berrigan-based operators shifted to the region.

Valentines second-generation co-owner and baker Joe Perry said it was good fit for the Rutherglen bakery to team up with another second-generation business.

"Our whole ethos at Valentines is that we're a family business who uses localised economies so to have someone part of our supply chain move 10 kilometres down the road works well for us especially when you see supermarket shelves stripped of bread," he said.

"It's a cool opportunity to work with other like-minded individuals working in like-minded businesses."

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Woodstock Flour co-owners Ian Congdon and Courtney Young produce wholegrain stoneground flour from certified organic grain grown by Ian's parents Bob and Jenny on their family farm at Berrigan.

They will also grow their own grain at their Lilliput farm and harvested their first rye crop this summer.

Mr Perry said people were more interested in food origins now than ever before. "We have a 65-year-old sourdough culture, which we're now feeding with flour that comes from 10 kilometres down the road," Mr Perry said.

"That's pretty unique!

"The sourdough was passed down to Dad from John and Helga's Bakehouse owners and it was passed down to me. It has such a wealth of history and now we have put a local grain in."

Ms Young said the Rutherglen community had embraced their business since their move to the North East last winter.

"The pandemic has shown us how fragile our food systems can be," she said.

"We've had great support throughout the pandemic and it's been humbling to be able to supply flour to people who haven't been able to source it through other suppliers or the supermarkets."

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