As farmers, winemakers and brewers take stock of what’s been lost, others are rallying to make it easy for people to spend in ways that help devastated businesses across Victoria.
Pietro Porcu is standing on blackened farmland and surveying the losses near Yarck, 170 km north-east of Melbourne. “House, sheds, machinery, fences, fruit trees, my collection of heirloom seeds: everything is burnt,” he says.
The vegetables, fruit, eggs, meat and olive oil produced here were used at Da Noi, the tiny paddock-to-plate Sardinian restaurant Porcu has run in South Yarra for 30 years. “It’s the Italian way, you bring your heart to the table,” he says.
Fire swept through Da Noi’s Goulburn Valley farm around January 9; two days later, Porcu returned to survey the damage.
“I think the smell of ash will stay with me forever,” he says.
There was relief too: miraculously, his farm animals survived. “First we started seeing the chickens, then we saw the white spots of the goats far away, then we realised the cows had joined the neighbours’ cows, and the pigs and piglets were still there.”
For the first week, Porcu slept in a donated caravan on the farm but he’s now moved to a 1970s Swiss tent, which better suits his three dogs.
“I have Nikita, a very old Maremma, who can’t get into the van. The dogs keep looking at me: what the hell is going on? I think they will love the tent.”
“Usually, we’d say the best way people can support us is by buying from us, but there’s nothing to buy.”
Conna Mallett, co-founder, Love Shack Brewing Co
His mood is up and down. “Last night, I couldn’t help but be grumpy: don’t talk to me,” he says. “But this morning, I woke up, had panettone and honey and a big cup of coffee, and I’m strong. I’m on a mission to make this place green and beautiful, even better than before.”
More than 200 kilometres west in Castlemaine, publican Conna Mallett is veering between assessing his own losses at Love Shack Brewing Co and wondering how he can help his community 10 days after bushfires scorched parts of central Victoria.
Like many local drinks producers, the business stored its inventory at Harcourt Coolstore, just north of town. They lost it all, amounting to $250,000 worth.
“Usually, we’d say the best way people can support us is by buying from us, but there’s nothing to buy. We’re coming up with other initiatives to get us through so we can make more stock. As a small business, we’re very hand-to-mouth with cash flow.”
The coolstore was more than a refrigerated shed. “Around 40 different producers utilise the coolstore,” says Mallett. “[Management are] always giving people a go, watching dreamers come and go … winemakers would be there, swapping stories and techniques. It’s a very emotional thing to lose.”
Beyond the feelings, there are the finances. Without local cool storage, producers may need to truck inventory to Melbourne, adding logistical hassles and cost. “There will be some hard conversations,” says Mallett.
Fires don’t need to directly hit businesses to affect the people running them. South of Castlemaine in Blampied, Nats Hardy and her husband Jono Hurst run Brooklands Free Range Farms, breeding rare-breed cattle and pigs. As the fires built a fortnight ago, Hardy was alone on the farm while Hurst did duty as a CFA volunteer.
“The wind here was horrific, the heat was unbelievable, the power went out and our diesel generator decided to pack up at the last minute,” says Hardy.
With hot and gusty conditions predicted for the coming Australia Day weekend, Hardy and Hurst made the difficult decision to cancel a long-planned ticketed farm tour this Saturday. They were going to donate proceeds to fire relief.
“We looked at weather reports and decided it’s too dangerous for people to be here,” says Hardy.
Food and drink businesses are always among the first to spring into action during a crisis.
“There are a lot of fundraisers, which is amazing,” says Mallett. “My instant thought was, ‘how do we help with this?’ but actually, we need to be helped, too. It’s grim reality: we need to put our own oxygen masks on first and hopefully we’ll then be able to help other people put their masks on, too.”
Fires are part of country life, but each year is getting harder. “I feel that the climate is so unpredictable and it’s getting worse,” says Hardy.
“A fire doesn’t choose who it’s going to hit: this time we were lucky, next time you might not be.”
Ways to help out bushfire-affected businesses
Da Noi is running a fundraiser and also selling T-shirts and tea towels.
Love Shack Brewing Co is offering memberships and merch.
Brooklands Free Range Farms recommends the Harcourt Progress Association as a trusted community fundraiser.
Hyphen Spaces in Carlton North is running a market and a raffle on January 31 with proceeds going to Sikh Volunteers Australia, who provide free meals and essential items to people in crisis.
City bar Gin Palace is running Pour It Forward, a fundraiser for Maison Lapalus and Maidenii, drinks producers with heavy losses in the Harcourt Coolstore fire. All takings from 4pm-3am on February 2-3 will be donated.
Coburg wine bar Gemini is doing $35 pours of Maidenii Nocturne Amaro, with proceeds donated, or you can give directly to Maidenii.
Goulburn Valley farmer Greg Conlan is running a fundraiser for farmers who need to buy hay to feed their livestock.
Buy from Fowles Wine, which lost its vineyard, and visit their cellar door and restaurant, which were saved.
Carlton restaurant Al Dente Enoteca has galvanised some of Melbourne’s top venues – including Bottarga, The Recreation and Scopri – to showcase wine from impacted regions. Ask for these when you dine.
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