Uralla's Tara Toomey is ready for a bumper couple of weeks when Seasons of New England takes centre stage in Uralla as well as in the big smoke.
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While the annual Seasons of New England expo is on in Uralla on March 24, they will also have a site in the Woolworths Food Dome at the Sydney Royal Easter Show which runs from March 22 to April 2.
Since first being run in 2014, Seasons of New England has grown from an expo into a retail and hamper business and founder Tara Toomey said heading to Sydney was the next step in allowing more people to see what the New England has to offer.
"Getting people up here [for the expo] is great but we really felt that we needed to get out to Sydney or Newcastle, or wherever, and the show presented a great opportunity we couldn't pass up - even though it's completely coinciding with the expo," she said.
With the two events overlapping, and Ms Toomey lacking the ability to be in two places at once, she has leant on the support of friends and family to make it all happen.
Honey producers Justin and Katelyn Wall, Wall's Honey, Nemingha, and some good friends in Sydney are lending a helping hand to kick things off at the show before Ms Toomey makes a mad dash to Sydney.
"Justin and an old friend in Sydney will set up the stall and get things underway, and I will drive down - with more stock - on Sunday, March 24, ready to get to work at the food dome on Monday, March 25 right until the end of the show on Tuesday, April 2," Ms Toomey said.
Ms Toomey's husband Andrew and their two children Helena, 11, and Jacob, 15, will also head down to Sydney just before the Easter long weekend with a last stock delivery.
Being located in the food dome means Seasons of New England will be showcasing a range of the food products they offer at the expo and in their store.
The range includes Dorrigo jerky, handmade pottery dipping bowls, olives and olive oils from Glen Innes, a superb range of specialty chutneys, jams and sauces, caramelised balsamic, pickles, dukkah from Uralla, coffee roasted in Walcha, organic hand poured chocolate from Tamworth, flavoured creamed honey and pure New England honey.
In total, they will have 34 products from 15 businesses at their stall but will provide a gateway to their full directory online which has over 100 businesses in it.
"Every product that leaves our stand will leave with a QR code taking people back to the New England through our website, where they can find so much more than food," Ms Toomey said.
"A real window to the region that we hope contributes to the growing interest in our region and in the products we make here."
Ms Toomey said a lot of care had gone into preparing the space for the food dome with some of New England's artists and designers making bunting, timber display stands and free postcards featuring local art.
"It feels like the right time to take a slice of the New England to Sydney under the seasons banner," Ms Toomey said.
"When we visited the show in April 2023, we were surprised by how few businesses had a clear regional story, particularly in the food dome.
"We are excited to be creating a space for New England-based producers in the food dome, and will certainly do everything we can to make sure it is a professional and engaging presentation for the region."
Ben Jaffrey
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
