Box Divvy Cranebrook - Cliff

01/02/2025

Market Update (with Ali)

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The 30th of January 'Market Update with Moussa' for Box Divvy. Thanks to our Farmers who keep giving us their best! We hope you enjoy. Keep it real, keep it ...

01/02/2025

New Asian product range: Part 1 of 3

Over the next 3 weeks or so, we hope to introduce around 40-50 new Asian products – from sauces to noodles and condiments. We’re spreading it out so we can manage the extra workload, and provide some focus.
We’re kicking it off this week with a distinctly Thai-themed range:
Mae Ploy produces a range of Thai curry pastes: green, red, Penang and Massaman. These are authentic curry pastes that you would expect in a good Thai restaurant – and now available to the home cook. And at a fraction of the cost of a restaurant meal: the 400g tubs contain 8 serves of 50g each. (You don’t want to use more because they are spicy, so dilute with a can of coconut cream). The Box Divvy price for the 400g tub is $4.11, one of the lowest prices in Sydney. (Most shops sell these around $5 or more). That works out at 51c per meal, or 13c per serve. Just add protein or vegetables, some fresh coriander and bingo!

Other products launched this week:
Rice noodles, including Pad Thai noodles and thin vermicelli for stir-fries, soups and salads
Rice noodles
Kara Coconut Cream: unlike the H2G organic coconut cream, the Kara contains an emulsifier which prevents the cream and liquid from separating. It’s also almost a dollar cheaper.
Maesri Sweet Chilli Sauce for well, anything really…
Several sauces that can be used either as a dip or noodle sauce:
Sukiyaki is perfect for hotpots or as a dip with vegetables, meat and seafood
Spring roll sauce is great over…spring rolls. (The rice paper to make your own spring rolls is currently out-of-stock at the supplier, but we expect to have it listed by the end of this month.
Pad Thai sauce for making the perfect …Pad Thai.
You will find the new Asian range in Marketplace under International Foods ➡️ Asian.

31/01/2025

Food for thought

Rising cancer among under 50’s: what’s behind it?
Some of the culprits that increase the chance of colorectal cancer include:
Picture of fast foodUltra Processed Foods (UPFs), especially when these foods make up as much as half of our diet. The issue lies both with the degree of processing - for example fractioning and hydrogenation that alter the molecular structure of food and makes it more difficult for the body to metabolise – as well as the industrially produced ingredients such as artificial flavours, preservatives and emulsifiers.
Excessive amounts of sugar and saturated fats, again found in UPFs – but also ready-to-eat meals and takeaway food
Some artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, still used in Diet Coke and other No Sugar drinks
Nitrates used as preservatives, especially in smallgoods (cold meats).
The risk is low when consumed in moderation, but the problem is that these ingredients are so widespread one needs to account for the cumulative effects.
For more detail, check out the full article-

Research into the disease has never been more far-reaching, but there is little consensus as to what is causing the rocketing rates of diagnosis in young adults

27/01/2025

Market update-

Fruit-
Wow, fruit-wise you simply can’t go wrong this week (with the exception of berries):
Dragon FruitIn the Tropical department, mangoes are still surprisingly good value, small pineapples (topless) are back at just $2.50 each, bananas and papaya are still reasonably priced, limes are cheap (67c) – but the piece-de-resistance: large Panama passionfruit, full of juice and pulp, and just 75c each. They may not look glamour, but they eat superbly. BTW: passionfruit in Colesworth is $1.50-$2 each… Lychees are up a bit due to Chinese New Year demand.
Some surprises in stone fruit as well: late season cherries from Tasmania are $14.50 a kilo. Because they take longer to ripen in Tasmania’s cooler climate, they have developed a depth of flavour unmatched by mainland cherries. The other surprise: plum prices have crashed by almost 50% overnight to under $4 a kilo. Peaches and nectarines are still in ample supply, but apricots are approaching the season’s end.
Whilst we’re waiting for rockmelons from Hay – any day now – you can tuck into seedless watermelon ($1.34 a kilo), the Dino or the regular white honeydew – both still reasonably priced.
Berries are mostly Victorian and some are heat-affected – so we’re not taking any risk. Cheap berries are usually cheap for a reason…
Figs are off the menu for now, but Dragon Fruit are back on – and surprisingly good value considering we’re in the lead-up to Chinese New Year. They’re $4.33 each, and red to boot!
And here’s a novelty: finger limes.

Vegetables-
Meanwhile, what’s happening in vegetables:
Hass avocadoes remain pricey (over $3 a pop), but this week Reed avos are coming to the rescue again: a tad bigger, creamier (and less nutty) and better value at $2.63 each.
Beans are still pricey -snow peas and sugarsnap are better value
Corn is up because it’s on special in both Coles and Woolies, are they’ve sucked the market dry – leaving the rest of us to fight it out…😟.
Broccoli is about 20% cheaper this week, and broccolini is still $2.60 a bunch – so don’t hold back. In other Brassica news: cauliflowers are scarce – they’re not fond of summer – and George Portelli’s small red cabbages have run out. However, he’s now switching to green cabbages: still small, but a tad bigger than the reds – and $2 each. Here’s to coleslaw. Oh, and kale – both green and Tuscan – remain indestructibly cheap.
Capsicums are steady, but cucumbers will be cheaper by 10% - and possibly more. About time too.
Herbs and Asian greens are under a bit of supply pressure, as a lot of small market growers have returned to China to celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year with their families. Prices will be a little elevated for most of February. The exception is Kangkung or Chinese Spinach: plenty of supply and prices have dropped to around $2 a bunch. The same goes for shallots
Are potato prices on their way down? Having spent several months – well, actually: most of last year – at pretty elevated levels, washed Nadines have come down to $2.50 a kilo. Let’s hope they stay there.

26/01/2025

New: Heaps Normal Third IPA

And why not wash down the Pizzetta with the new non-alcohol Heaps Normal Third IPA – or India Pale Ale. Whereas XPA (Extra Pale Ale) is lighter and more citrusy, the IPA has a stronger hop flavour.

Here’s Heaps Normal’s take on the Third IPA – in a parody of the wellness industry:

“Welcome, my child. The search for your inner truth has begun with a holotropic monorail to dietary enlightenment. When combined with regular exercise, sleep and a balanced diet, our 24-can program works every time. Surrender your cash, suspend your belief and sip on this oral ice bath. Namaste. This classic West Coast IPA (India Pale Ale) boasts a pine-punch, amber allure and a refreshingly dry, crisp finish that cleverly cloaks the absence of booze. All wrapped up in a delightfully bitter, big, classic IPA flavour that stands out from the fruity crowd.”

Available as a 4-pack ($13.06 – lowest regular price in Sydney) or $69 for a whole case.

25/01/2025

Market Update (with Ali)

Check out the video

The 23rd of January 'Market Update with Moussa' for Box Divvy. Thanks to our Farmers who keep giving us their best! We hope you enjoy. Keep it real, keep it ...

25/01/2025

The Beer & Pizza Edition

It’s International Pizza Day on 9th February, and what better way to celebrate than with the new Shepherd’s Mini Pizzas.

These Pizzettas are also known as Sciachiatta. They use a base of squashed brioche (‘sciachiatta’ literally means ‘pressed’ in Italian) and come in 4 flavours - sold in boxes of 4 Pizzettas. For the next 2 weeks, a Mixed Box will be available with one of each flavour. You’ll find them in the Chilled Section under Fresh Prepared Meals ➡️ Pizza. They cost $19.50 per box of 4 ($17 for the Margherita).

24/01/2025

Free-range egg supply under serious pressure

As flagged in last week’s newsletter, the supply constraints in free-range eggs are starting to become serious. Every week, we hold our breath and cross our fingers – plus assorted toes – that we are able to fill all orders. Hunter Valley can supply us about half of what we need, with 10-20% coming from Moonbi Valley and 20-30% now from Ash & Sons. We just managed to scrape in this week, but there’s no margin for error.
What’s more, the supply constraints have been pushing free-range egg prices north at a rapid rate: this time last year, we paid a wholesale price of $3.67 a dozen. In late 2024, they increased to $5, and this week they went up to $5.33 – and increase of 45% over the past 12 months. Whilst we’ve been able to absorb most of the increase, we can’t keep doing this – so from this week, a dozen free-range eggs has increased from $6.97 to $7.83. For context, most branded free-range eggs sell for between $8 and $10 a dozen – if you can get them. Of the 18 branded free-range egg product offered by Coles Online, 16 were out-of-stock at the time of writing (Friday 24th).

To ease the pressure on demand, we’re also introducing barn-laid eggs – supplied by Jones Brothers. (We used to get their free-range eggs, but the supply became increasingly unreliable – but they’re more confident about barn-laid eggs).

Barn-laid (or cage-free as it is sometimes called) means that the hens are free to roam inside a large shed, with natural light and air, a place to dig, easy access to fresh water and food, and laying boxes. They’re able to socialise and display their normal herd behaviour – just not outside. On the upside: they’re safe from predators, and also at a lower risk from diseases such as bird flu (which can be carried by wild birds flying over free-range farms and drop infected faeces).

Barn-laid eggs are $6.97 a dozen.

20/01/2025

Market update

Fruit-
Although some vegetables have been impacted by wet and steamy conditions, fruit supply is looking good:
Tropical fruit is mostly cheaper than last week, especially papaya, lychees and limes. We’ll have small, topless pineapples for under $3.
Stone fruit is also looking good, even cherries and mangoes this late in the season – but prices are up a little, and plums are refusing to come down. Normally the market is awash with plums of every variety, but this season is shaping up as poor
Valencias remain tight, but lemons will ease in price over the next few weeks as new season fruit is coming down from Gayndah in Qld.
Melons is where most of the action is – even though rockmelons from Hay are late this year: for starters, the Vellas have a serious number of seedless watermelons at $1.25 a kilo. This is literally half price compared with Colesworth. We also managed to get hold of some Dino melons – so called because they resemble a🦖 dinosaur egg. Visually we hope – not flavour-wise 😱😟. It’s a sub-variety of honeydew melons, but even sweeter, that’s been around in Japan for years. It’s also known as Gaya melon, Snow Ball (uh?) and Sweet Baby (yeah!).
Berries are good (except raspberries) but a tad dearer than last week.

Vegetables
Vegetables are a mixed bag:
Reed avocadoes have finished already, which will put upwards pressure on Hass – already over $3 a pop – until Shepherds appear from Qld in another 4 weeks
Corn doesn’t like rain and prices are up, but snow peas and sugarsnap are back – and reasonably priced.
Xerri is bringing in green cabbages – MIA since before Christmas – but they are quite a bit dearer (and also larger) than George Portelli’s small red cabbages. Among other brassicas, broccoli and broccolini are cheaper than last week, and kale remains very cheap. Alas, Portelli’s wombok has mostly cooked on the inside – the result of rain and heat – so he’s taking a 1-2 week break
Rain has also interrupted supply of cucumbers and capsicums from northern NSW, so expect prices to remain elevated
Herbs and leafy greens already have seen price adjustments so no major changes (except that Dill won’t be available for a few weeks)
Potatoes remain largely unchanged, and tomatoes are still quite cheap.

19/01/2025

Avocado Oil

Avocado oilPlenty Foods have just released their new season Avocado Oil. It’s probably one of the healthiest oils you can get: it helps reduce inflammation, improves heart health, and supports eye health.
Avocado oil contains lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that may help protect against age-related macular degeneration and vision loss. It also contains vitamin E, which can improve skin health from the inside out.
Available in Marketplace under pantry ➡️ meal preparation ➡️ oil, vinegar and dressing.

19/01/2025

New product range expansion: what’s in the pipeline?

Preparations are under way to step up our new product range expansion. Over the next 3-4 months, you can expect:
A range of products from Spiral Foods, including Bonsoy, pasta sauces, gluten-free pasta, instant ramen, crushed garlic & ginger
A substantial Asian range, with curry paste, sauces, coconut cream, tamarind and other specialty Asian products
A range of breakfast cereals
Pickled and fermented products including capers, artichoke hearts and sauerkraut
And much more.
This week, we’re kicking off with … toilet paper (see below).
Toilet Paper

The single most requested product by Box Divvy Hubsters and members: loo paper. And if our goal is to keep our members out of supermarkets, then this category is a ‘must-have’.

About A Dog

The toilet paper is produced by a small Sydney-based company called About A Dog. It was born during Covid (most of their business was in hospitality which closed during lockdowns), and it took off. The quality of the paper is second to none in our view, and this is not hyperbole: it’s better than the mainstream brands like Quilton, Kleenex and Sorbent. It’s also a notch about Who Gives A Crap. Of course, when it comes to loo paper, all opinions are subjective – so this week we will send some sample rolls to each participating Hub so you and your members can judge for yourselves. For online reviews, check out their website: 93% is 5-star)
About A Dog has a few other features:
It’s 100% recycled – and certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).
The paper is Ink, Chlorine and BPA free.
It’s made locally in Milperra, Sydney – but the raw material (pulp) is imported. (Who Gives a Crap is manufactured in China).
50% of profits are donated to animal shelters including Sydney Dogs and Cats Home, Maggie’s Rescue, Greyt Greys Victorian Greyhound Rescue and Pets of the Homeless Australia to name just a few. To date, over $46,000 has been donated.

The product itself is a double-length roll with 360 sheets, and available as a box of 24 rolls. It costs $31.65 – which works out to $1.32 per roll.

18/01/2025

Free-range Eggs remain a challenge

Although we managed to fill almost every egg order this week (after crediting every single egg order the previous week), free-range egg supply remains a big challenge.

Hunter is currently getting us less than half of the number we need, and Moonbi Valley between 10% and 20%.That leaves a big gap, which we managed to fill this week with Ash and Sons - a 3rd generation family-run and owned business with farms in Sydney and QLD. Their eggs are mainly sold through greengrocers and independent grocery stores. The farms are mostly run with a density of 10,000 hens per HA – significantly denser than Hunter Valley (950/HA) but similar to Moonbi. Not ideal, but it is almost impossible to find low density egg suppliers with any spare capacity. We’ve had several discussions with Jones Brothers Eggs – who used to supply us a few years back – but their supply currently averages 130 boxes a day – against daily orders for 1400 boxes. (There’s 15 dozen in a box) that means every customer only gets 10% of what they order.

From what Hunter Valley and Moonbi are telling us, free-range supply will almost certainly get worse – especially if (or when) the highly contagious H5N1 bird flu strain enters Australia. (We’re the only continent that has not detected this strain – which has caused the death of millions of birds – both farmed and wild – in Europe and the US).



Free-range flocks are more exposed because of contact with wild birds, including migrating birds from areas where H5N1 is prevalent. To reduce the chance of contagion, one solution would be to put the hens back inside: not in cages, but in barn-style accommodation that would still allow hens to live out their social instincts.

We are exploring this option as an add-on to our free-range eggs.

18/01/2025

Moussa's market update (with Ali this week)

Check out the video

The 16th of January 'Market Update with Moussa' for Box Divvy. Thanks to our Farmers who keep giving us their best! We hope you enjoy. Keep it real, keep it ...

18/01/2025

National Pie day

It’s National Pie Day on 23rd January. Ok, it’s American Pies we’re talking, and they’re mostly sweet – but give us any excuse to celebrate our Aussie pies, and we’ll take it.
Besides, it’s close enough to Australia Day…
To celebrate, Shepherd’s is taking 10% off their pie range – this week only – for delivery on 25th January.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/N70Iwr4WkQM

Forget the servo pies, Shepards is rocking Puff Pies filled with pure energy so get ready for Australia Day early and keep the mongrels satisfied with 10% of...

17/01/2025

Food for thought

Get 9 nutritionists in a room, and you’ll get 10 opinions – right? Well actually, there is a surprising amount they DO agree on:
Bone broth and collagenEat chocolate if you want to indulge, especially dark chocolate

Eat full fat cheese and Greek yoghurt: fermented dairy is good for gut health (and yes: cheese is fermented)

Don’t let kids drink fizzy drinks and slushies, although many nutritionists say it’s better not to ban any one food

Green juices are over-rated: most fibre and much nutrition has been stripped out. Also over-rated: protein supplements (almost no-one lacks protein these days) and collagen supplements (no credible scientific evidence it does anything).

Among the foods they encourage people to eat are: beans (for fibre, protein and B vitamins), extra virgin olive oil, sprouting broccoli and nuts (nutrient-dense), Vitamin D supplement (most of us are deficient, although the nutritionists are UK-based and Britons are more likely to miss out on sunlight than Aussies; 20 minutes of sunlight exposure per day will give you enough vitamin D), and Omega-3 especially in fish

They also agree on eating a varied breakfast, with protein, healthy fat, grains and seeds – and eat you dinner at least 3 hours before you go to bed to optimise digestion.

Read the full article here-

Is it all green juice and overnight oats, or do health experts enjoy the occasional burger or chocolate eclair? They reveal their tips and treats

13/01/2025

Grapes-
Super crisp and super sweet: we’re talking about white seedless grape prices here. Expect to pay no more than around $5.94 a kilo this week.

Peaches and Nectarines-
Stone fruit is in peak supply, with peaches and nectarines the pick of the crop. Under $4 a kilo.

Corn-
Succulent Corn comes from Manuel Xerri in Agnes Banks this week – just a dollar a cob. Hey Agnes, you can bank that one!

Baby Dutch carrots-
The carrots might be Dutch, but the grower is not going Dutch: baby carrots $2 a bunch.

Zucchini-
Zucchini is one of the most versatile veggies around – you can literally add it to anything. And at $3.65 a kilo, you should.

Seedless watermelon from the Vella family in Freemans Reach

Happy cooking!

12/01/2025

Market update

Supply-wise, it’s been a challenging first week back – and not just on the market:
Eggs at Coles unavailableThe big one was eggs: both Hunter and Moonbi kept telling us ‘tomorrow’, but tomorrow didn’t come until Friday – so not one Hub received eggs this week. The good news is that we have around 2000 dozen in stock for early next week, with more promised on Monday. We may also have found a 3rd free-range supplier; we’ll provide details once confirmed. BTW: free-range egg shortages extend across the entire industry, with 7 out 10 branded free-range eggs in Coles out-of-stock at the time of writing.
Coffee from Blackmarket and Wonder Roasters are back on, freshly roasted. (Monday & Tuesday hubs will have to click on Supplier Selection and re-confirm to make them appear in Marketplace).
Fresh cheeses and cold meats will have a fair number of out-of-stocks as many suppliers have only just returned to re-start production
Some pantry lines will run out this week, and re-supply may have to wait until the end of January.
Even Fruit and vegetable supply was a little wobbly this week, partly because of hot weather in Victoria and rain in NSW and QLD – but we expect supply to improve next week.
We are seriously considering delaying our return next year until 12th January to avoid the worst of the supply issues. We don’t recall having had these challenges in previous years, but our rapid growth over the past 12 months may have something to do with this.

Fruit-
In fruit, seedless watermelon from Charlie Vella ($1.57 a kilo), honeydew melons, peaches, nectarines, cherries, berries, small honeygold mangoes, passionfruit, papaya, limes, white grapes, bananas and figs are all good value – but plums, apricots, apples and Valencia oranges are tight. Lemons will remain pricey until the new season starts in a few weeks’ time. However, new season Clapp’s pears will be available from this week.

Across fruit and vegetables, there’s some excellent value – especially from our local growers.

Vegetables-
In vegetables, mushrooms, broccoli, cucumbers, capsicums, beans, sweet potatoes and ginger have all moved up in price, but corn, carrots, zucchini, cauliflower, kale and many leafy greens will be cheaper this coming week. Golden Fields starts picking Snake Beans this week: at $2.60 a bunch, they’re good value. Kim and Laks have also started Grape Tomatoes, after a long absence.

Hass avocadoes are moving up in price as the season is nearing its end. Shepards should be available late February, but meanwhile Reed avocadoes are a good option. They’re larger than Hass, more creamy and better value at $2.94.

Continental eggplant is up a little at $6.29 a kilo, but Charlie Vella is picking Thai striped eggplant which comes in around $4.60 a kilo. This variety is particularly suited to curries and casseroles as it tends to hold its shape and bite.
Small red cabbages and wombok from George Portelli continue to be excellent value.

Speciality mushrooms from The Little Mountain Mushroom Co (aka FungiCo) are back from this week with Shiitake, Oyster and Lion’s Mane.
Best value tomatoes this week: Field Tomatoes at $4.23 a kilo.

12/01/2025

Antipasto: we’re overstocked – take 15% off