ABOUT US | MINIFARMS

Kathy's Story

A LOVE OF FOOD

always looked forward to. Looking back, I know I had so much to be thankful for – the love that went into the dishes, the hands that made the dishes from scratch, and the truly fresh produce that she always used.

I suppose it’s no coincidence that I married into a family whose culture is defined by food. My husband’s (Iker) family is the quintessential definition of a Basque family where having meals together around a table is something almost second nature. It’s a daily ritual to head to the family farm before lunch or dinner to pick out the foods that we want in our up coming meal.

Hello, I’m Kathy! I’m a local on Sydney’s North shore, and the creator of Minifarms.

My backstory:
From a young age, food played an integral part in my life. Growing up, Sundays were always reserved for lunches and dinners at my grandma’s place. I remember watching her put her heart and soul into the shopping and prepping. The time and effort involved for this weekly get-together was her love language for all thirty of us.

The kitchen was also the centre of my family’s home. I fondly remember sitting on a stool next to mum watching her cook and bake.

Every once in a while, she would let me help stir or whisk, which was something I

These food experiences in Spain never fail to remind me that produce tastes a million times better when hand-picked and hero’ed like it should be… simply.

Contact Kathy

Australia is and has been home for myself and Iker for the past twenty years. While we love it here, it also means we are far away from our families. When we do reunite, the themes of food and love continue to be central. They say home is where the heart is; for me, home has and always will be where the food is. Whether we are in Australia, Indonesia, Singapore or Spain, food represents unforgettable memories, heart-filled laughter, and love.

Where I source my food from:

In our family home, much of the time we spend together involves our kitchen. Food is at the heart of our home – I am passionate about sourcing the best-tasting local and seasonal produce around to create food that shows my kids that “fast” can be healthy, and that “healthy” can be tasty.

I have been running my own co-ops for about a decade. I stumbled across my local co-op by chance when I moved into the area, and when the co-op organiser at the time decided to take a sabbatical to travel around Europe for a year, the role fell into my lap. I suppose the rest is history. From a group of ten families, I now run two co-ops a week that comprise of fifty families each.

Co-ops are a wonderful way to purchase food because they support local farmers

and their produce. They generally work out to be cheaper than purchasing produce from supermarkets and are also much fresher, as the produce is picked up from the wholesale markets that same day.

Traditionally, co-ops have been associated with the lack of convenience because it involved a rotation of members making a trip out the wholesale markets, and then spending volunteered time divvying up the market purchases amongst the members. This can be time-consuming and if there are a limited number of families in the co-op, choice can also
be limited.

I have aimed to address both issues of time and choice through the creation of our Minifarms App. I am so thrilled to have modernised the traditional co-op by bringing lower prices, convenience and variety to your family’s weekly shop! Paired with our blog and our recipes, inspired by quick and simple cooking and our partnership with Love Food Hate
Waste NSW, Minifarms intends to showcase how fresh produce can be enjoyed in an uncomplicated way and ultimately lead to better health outcomes.