Daz Murphy laughs that Bendigo Wholefoods is his “passion gone mad”. There’s no doubt you feel the love at this produce store in inner-city Bendigo. But, there’s certainly method to Daz’s madness.
Daz and his wife Nic took over the iconic store eight years ago, having recognised its potential to bring real, honest food back to people’s tables. Visit today and you’ll find a like-minded community of food lovers here, inspiring each other with their discoveries of local and global goods.
A chef by trade, Daz had owned his own restaurant in Albury during his 20s. When his family moved to Bendigo he was working as a business coach, travelling around the state. But food was never far away. It was on these travels he noted the wealth of regional producers and makers, and an idea was planted.
“Nic realised I needed to be in business for myself, and I needed something that would give me ten years’ worth of projects so I didn’t drive her mad,” he laughs. Cue Bendigo Wholefoods. When the Murphy family took over, the business was buying in around $60,000 of local produce annually. Today that’s increased ten-fold. “We stock over 150 producers from a 150-km radius of the store,” Daz says.
Thanks to places like this, and the burgeoning Bendigo Community Farmers’ Market, local growers can sustain a good living, selling to locals.
Daz says he’s still got many ideas to achieve, which he’ll do with the help of his 22 staff – up from just six eight years ago. He has two new projects in the pipeline. One, dubbed Wholesome Handpicked, will communicate why the business stocks the goods it does.
“We want to tell people we chose these things for this reason, because we do handpick them and we do make choices based on a range of things,” he says. Reasons could be health, environment, sustainability or fun. That’s also a big element of Wholefoods and another reason people love this place. Shopping here is nothing like popping into a franchise supermarket. It is a joy, and it’s why Wholefoods has become a must-do even for visitors to Bendigo.
Meet Daz and his passionate band of staff as part of the Bendigo Food Fossickers tour.