hile also encouraging farmers and producers to adopt methods that actively reduce carbon emissions. “We believe strongly in doing – not saying,” co-CEO Tristan Harris says. “The Re-Purposeful Picks campaign is a good example: instead of saying we are going to reduce food waste, we’ve just jumped in and done something about food waste. This initiative, along with Imperfect Picks, is part of an ongoing program that has so far saved millions of kilograms of food from going to waste.” Introduced in late-Spring 2021, Re-Purposeful Picks involves taking products before they get to the end of their shelf life and upcycling them into longer-lasting food, such as garlic bread, salsa verde, and kale chips. An old market trend is back on top The biggest food trend of 2021 and beyond is actually an old one, which Harris is particularly pleased to see still going strong. “It would seem the underlying megatrend is health and wellness – that has not changed for decades now. In line with that, we have introduced much more stringent health requirements on every line that we range.” The pandemic simply brought the megatrend home, across three areas: 1. Cooking from scratch at home: Harris Farm Markets substantially increased its baking range and experienced a good uptake in alternative flours 2. Plant-based proteins: meat alternatives continue to grow in popularity 3. Snacking vegetables: fresh, uncooked vegetables are definitely “a thing” Harris noted, particularly snacking carrots, beans and tomatoes – all healthy options. National expansion In 2021, Harris Farm Markets launched online into Victoria and physically into Queensland, including opening a new Gold Coast store just before Christmas. In early 2022, it will open a store in Sydney’s Lane Cove and it plans to set up new locations later in the year. Although a few major players have been experimenting with smaller footprints in CBDs, Harris says the business doesn’t intend on joining them. Instead, it’s more focused on local communities outside CBDs. “Our footprint is traditionally smaller than an average full-line supermarket (but some of our newer stores are tending towards that size),” he said. “The smaller footprint offers the opportunity to be more embedded in small local communities, which is something we believe we’ve always done pretty well. Our ultra-fresh offer is also well suited to the top-up shopping occasions that local stores are great for.” While food markets were among the few essential businesses allowed to stay open during pandemic restrictions, opening new stores was a major challenge, due to state border closures and travel restrictions. Every time there was an outbreak in either Victoria or NSW, the borders became tighter, some team members found it challenging to get onsite and the business lost some customers. To mitigate the impact, Harris Farm set up overstaffed rosters, to be ready for the times when borders opened and customers were free to travel again. “For our store opening in Queensland, we couldn’t have any CEOs or other family members present because of the border restrictions,” Harris recalled. “Fortunately, the team on the ground in Queensland has been sensational, a few people have really stepped up and taken control and we are confident they are going to execute brilliantly.” More expansion plans for 2022 One for Harris Farm Markets’ big insights during 2021 was just how ‘sticky’ customers can be once they’re used to something new. “Whether it is online shopping or new categories they engage in during lockdown, those habits do not disappear once the lockdowns ease up,” Harris reported. “That gives us more encouragement to try new things and then do all the necessary work and incur the cost of getting the customers to participate.” Harris says a key focus for the business is to constantly enhance its offer at each new location as it continues to expand nationally, including building on the Re-Purposeful Picks range and in-store cooking facilities. “We also have some exciting concession partnerships in development we hope our customers will love,” he concludes. “In addition, we have just started a ‘store of the future’ project, where we get to really let our hair out. Big omnichannel ideas and outrageous category hero presentations are flying around on Zoom. Let’s wait and see how many make it all the way to reality.”