Most regular shoppers will know that at Fresh Choice Nelson, we dedicate ourselves to supporting local. We buy local, so you can too. And we invest and give back to our communities. So, when our very own Mark A’Court (AKA the Grocer) was asked to become involved with The Food Factory in Nelson, he accepted with relish!
Before ‘The Food Factory’, Nelson:
The Food Factory, Nelson, is the brainchild of Nelson’s very own Pic Picot. But Mark and Pic’s story is cemented in history. They first met when Pic was making peanut butter in his garage and selling it at the Saturday Market.
Pic wanted to sell in a supermarket, and Mark loved the product. After several meetings, Pic’s (now world-famous) Peanut Butter became one of the very first items to grace our shelves sporting the bright yellow, ‘less than 200km’ banner you’ve all come to know and love.
Of course, these days we know you can buy Pic’s Peanut Butter in other shops around the world, but the supermarket story started right here as did a genuine friendship between Pic and Mark.
A Place for your Vision:
The food factory officially opened this month. It’s a Not For Profit organisation that offers an affordable food-grade workspace and collaborative environment for foodie entrepreneurs to develop food products and processing methods.
But you don’t just get to hire commercial-grade kitchens and facilities; you get access to a whole host of expertise. The management will put you in touch with their networks of entrepreneurs, coaches and funding resources.
Trustees you can Trust – They know their Stuff:
The people behind The Food Factory have a wealth of knowledge to share. They include:
- Pic (of course) – Who needs no introduction but is responsible for spearheading this collaborative space with funding from the Provincial Growth Fund.
- Debbie Hannan – A former journalist and communications specialist who knows a thing or two about sharing the good news about your foods!
- Julian Raine – A sixth-generation custodian of Stoke’s Oaklands Dairy Farm, and the name behind Oaklands and Aunty Betty’s Milk and Appleby Farms ice cream.
- And finally, our very own Mark A’Court, who has been in the grocery business for four decades, with the last 25 years as the owner of Fresh Choice Nelson. Mark, as you can imagine, knows a thing or two about getting food products into the supply chain, so he’s onboard to answer all the questions that Food Factory residents might have in that area. He’s there to help you, just like he helped Pic all those years ago.
Find out more about The Food Factory Nelson HERE.
