Andrew Taylor with his hand-woven market baskets sold under the Farmer Drew name.
ANDREW Taylor noticed something strange about the crowds at Sunshine Coast farmers markets when he moved here from Melbourne in March.
Everyone was keen to do their bit for food miles and support local farmers in a very green way, but some were taking their produce home in plastic shopping bags.
He contacted friends in Sydney who import market baskets, hand-woven in Morocco from date palm fibres, and set about selling them locally.
“No one makes them in Australia,” he said.
“The Aboriginal ones are works of art and really expensive while the cheaper ones from India and China often have handles that break.
“These baskets are good quality and used quite widely throughout Europe.
“They are strong, durable and versatile. They are great for the beach or a picnic and for carrying a load of fruit and vegies.
“They can last a lifetime.
“As for a ban on plastic bags (as in other states), there is a long way to go. But my aim was to simply reduce people’s reliance on single use plastic bags.”
The baskets, which range from $25 to $60, can be massaged back into shape if they get wet and can even be composted at the end of their life.
Mr Taylor also sells large Egyptian cotton Fouta towels and some table linen at his Eumundi Markets stall on Wednesdays, and the Noosa farmers market on Sundays.
“I have a background in hospitality and real estate but my partner and I wanted a lifestyle change so we moved to the Coast,” he said.
“This is a small business that gives me an interest.
“My tagline is ‘helping to reduce your carbon footprint and reliance on single use plastic bags’.
“The markets are a really good environment for meeting lots of happy people.
“I am helping them save the planet in style.”
Mr Taylor said his key demographic was women aged 25 to 55, the majority of visitors from interstate as well as locals and New Zealand tourists.
He has a Facebook page and website atwww.farmerdrew.com.au.
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