The South Burnett is home to the peanut capital of Australia, the North Burnett is known for its citrus fruits, and the Sunshine coast hinterland is recognised for all things dairy, so what would happen if these producer powerhouses were to join forces?
The Farm2Fork Collective is a one-stop-shop for all things produced locally within a 165 kilometre radius from it's home base in the South Burnett town of Wooroolin, extending west to Chinchilla and Miles, north to Mount Perry and Childers, south to Gatton, and east to the Sunshine Coast.
This number may seem random but is actually based on something called the 'locavore movement,' inspired by a chef in San Franciso Bay who decided she was only going to cook with locally sourced products within a 100 mile (160.93km) radius from her home.
Chef and Farm2Fork committee president Roberta Schablon, owner of The Saucy Fork, was inspired by the locavore strategy when she learnt about the movement 16 years ago, prompting her to implement a similar approach to her own catering business, based in Cloyna.
"Farm2Fork collective stemmed from a lot of producers wanting to promote their products, but also chefs trying to use local produce," Ms Schablon said.
"For myself personally, I moved to this area with the proviso that I was going to start a business only using local produce thinking oh this is going to be so easy, it's going to be a breeze.
"In the end, it was the hardest thing ever because products were actually sent to Brisbane and other places but you couldn't get them here. So I actually used travel 40 minutes one way just to pick up some figs and drive 40 minutes back.
"I realised that people weren't actually eating local produce unless myself or other chefs were putting them on a plate for an event or in a restaurant, so I thought there's got to be a way where it's on people's plates everyday."
The collective was formed with the help of the Tarong community partnership fund in July last year as a place where growers can connect with their customers to promote their products, while also educating consumers on where their food comes from.
Being a not-for-profit, the store is only open two days a week and run by volunteers and committee members but has been extremely successful considering its limited opening hours.
Growers are able to name their price for the produce that they sell through the collective and Mrs Schablon says it is surprising how many of them don't realise their worth.
"They work so hard for this quality produce and they deserve to be recognised and rewarded for that," she said.
One of the producers belonging to the collective is Barambah Farms Estate, owned and run by Jeff and Lynda Klein.
The Burnett is not somewhere most would consider as an ideal place to grow Arabica Gold coffee beans, but Mr Klein says his property between Proston and Hivesville is optimal plantation country due to its elevation and climate.
"I planted five trees originally and it grew so well that I thought wow, this is an opportunity. We've got 22,000 trees now," he said.
"We don't try to put it through a cup into cafes because we can't compete with imported coffee. They buy it wholesale for about 8 dollars per kilo and it costs us 15 dollars per kilo to grow it, so we sell it as a boutique range."
Mr Klein said it took him about 15 years to get the exact blend of varieties that he was looking for, but it was a process that he enjoyed.
"It started just from a passion for good coffee. I live on about six or eight cups a day so that's why I started doing it," he said.
The Klein's are also one of the oldest commercial beekeeping families in Australia, producing honey since 1901, which can also be purchased from the Wooroolin store.
A new addition to the collective is Noosa Organica, a company which produces organic products such as Moringa oil for cosmetic purposes and is aiming to create an organic tequila to be distilled and sold in Australia.
CEO Steve Newton said he moved to the South Burnett just over a year ago looking for a tree change and fell in love with the district, saying he now wants to contribute to the collective and its vision.
"Noosa Organica is the name of the umbrella company and it's supposed to represent the bringing of the country and the coast together, which is what this whole co-op is about as well," he said.
"I've got a really good feeling about what's happening here and how it's growing.
"There's a general migration to country areas, people are just naturally moving west.
"It's inevitable that it's going to bigger and bigger, so if we have the infrastructure and people to continue to build this community, it will be perfect."
