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Murray Bridge’s Farm Fresh Market to celebrate 25 years in business

Carlo and Tracey De Michele invite you to join Farm Fresh Market's 25th anniversary celebrations from 9.30am to 2pm on Friday June 2.

Michael X. Savvas

May 25, 2023 — 3 min read

This sponsored post is brought to you by Farm Fresh Market.

Farm Fresh Market’s co-owners Tracey and Carlo De Michele continue to grow their business to match their customers’ needs. Photo: Michael X. Savvas.

When Farm Fresh Market began in Murray Bridge 25 years ago, there were just four staff, husband-and-wife team Carlo and Tracey De Michele and two staff.

A quarter of a century later, Carlo and Tracey still run Farm Fresh Market, but they’ve expanded their premises three times and increased their staff to 28 local employees – and 35 in summer.

Apart from that, Farm Fresh Market’s business co-owner Carlo De Michele said their range of products has also increased.

Farm Fresh Market pick locals as staff. Georgia De Michele (left) and Libby Fraser. Photo: Tracey De Michele.

“Fruits shops have evolved – 25 years ago, Farm Fresh Market was just a fruit shop,” he said.

“We’ve diversified into gourmet items, we sell meat, we’ve got an in-store café – it’s a broad spectrum now.

“We carry a lot more lines, and we try to find that niche market that supermarkets haven’t got – we pride ourselves on gourmet and locally sourced products.

“We’ve got a full section of just local produce or locally made things, including home-made candles.

Tracey and Carlo with the section devoted to locally sourced and locally made products. Photo: Michael X. Savvas.

“We also now do both retail and wholesale – we do pubs, clubs, hospitals and schools – and the area we supply to goes from Mannum all the way to Victoria and to Bordertown one way and Callington the other way.

“And we use the Fresho app for shopping online, with live prices, so you can see what you’re buying.

“Our shop now goes to farmers that live in places like Lameroo and Pinnaroo that can’t see us – it brings them to our shops, so they don’t have to hop in their car and drive two hours.”

Tracey added that the wholesale side of the business employs another eight people and that small businesses support other small businesses.

“There’s not going to be many small businesses soon because people do one-stop shops at supermarkets, but if people don’t look at what they’ve got locally, the small businesses are going to disappear,” she said.

Farm Fresh Market’s 25^th anniversary celebrations will have balloons, cakes, biscuits, give-aways, a colouring-in competition and taste-testing from local suppliers Woodlane, Aussie Apricots and Paradise Hill – along with plenty of Farm Fresh Market Super Specials.

“For people who haven’t been here, we’d like them to come in and have a look,” Carlo said.

More information about Farm Fresh Market: Phone 8531 2888 or visit farmfreshmarket.net.au.

If you haven’t yet been inside this well-known shop on Murray Bridge’s Adelaide Road, come in and try their wares. Photo: Michael X. Savvas.

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