News, Views and Information From Kombu Online...

Welcome to the Kombu Shop Blog...All the latest news from Kombu...

Last update: 8th March 2010

Less Bad Gas From Organics

As you are probably aware, Kombu is a big supporter of chemical free farming. The benefits go way beyond the local environment...Your health, and it appears the health of a potentially over heating planet are also beneficairies of a better way of growing food...

Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA) General Manager, Ms Holly Vyner, explained that organic farming is in the front line of defence against greenhouse emissions. The BFA has been lobbying with governments for several years for climate change deliberations to acknowledge the contribution made by organic farming.

"Countless studies have found that organic farming requires only about half the amount of energy required by non-organic farming to produce the same amount of food, because it uses organic matter for crop nutrition instead of energy-intensive synthetic fertilizers," she says.

"As well, because one of the main principles of organic production is increasing the levels of organic matter in the soil, carbon sequestration takes place, locking carbon back into the soil and reducing the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere."

Ms Vyner says that research findings from the Rodale Institute in the USA indicate that a concerted effort to convert to organic farming could have a massive beneficial impact on reducing greenhouse gases.

"A nearly 30 year trial conducted by the Rodale Institute as reported last year has found that practical organic agriculture, if adopted for the planet's 3.5 billion tillable acres, could sequester nearly 40 percent of current CO2 emissions."

Ms Vyner adds "The agricultural sector is responsible for about seventeen per cent of Australia's greenhouse gases, with fertilizers accounting for two-thirds of all cropping emissions. Organic certification prohibits the use of nitrogen-based and other synthetic fertilizers responsible for these emissions."

Massive Growth Predicted for Organic Food

Organics is being increasingly tipped as the industry of opportunities in Australia, echoing similar positive reports in the US, Europe and other countries. In survey findings released over the past week by independent global industry researcher IBISWorld, organic farming was tipped to be a front-runner in the areas of revenue and employment in Australia.

In its report on the "top 10" growth industries, IBISWorld states that organic farming revenue is poised for a growth spurt, to increase 14.8% in 2010, raising the value to $430 million. This places organic farming in the top two growth industries in Australia for the coming year. In the next five years revenue is expected to grow at an average rate of 13.4% per year reaching approximately $760 million in 2014.

IBISWorld General Manager (Australia), Mr Robert Bryant, says that; "Increasing awareness of environmental sustainability and an increase in the range of organic produce available, will see continued growth in this industry. "Growth will mainly be driven by increases in production, and an increase in consumer demand," Mr Bryant said.

"Not only does Organic Farming offer higher returns for farmers, but recent studies suggest it is more resilient and adaptable to changing conditions wrought by climate change - encouraging some farmers to switch from conventional to organic farming."

"While many of the jobs created will fall into the category of unskilled labour, there will also be opportunities created for ecologists, biodynamic farming specialists, and researchers," Mr Bryant added.

The reported growth in organic agriculture comes as no surprise to Kevin Doye from local organic retailer Kombu Wholefoods: "We've been watching sales continue to grow over the last few years. I think this is down to an increasing awareness of the environmental (and health) benefits of organic food consumption combined with an ongoing reduction in the price differential between organics and conventional produce. The growth data has obvious benefits for organic growers in the local region - local and national demand is growing quickly."

BFA Manager Holly Vyner noted that organic farmers are, on average, younger than non-organic farmers, which augurs well for future organic farming growth.

Source: Kombu Wholefoods and BFA

Another 100 New Lines and So Much More!

We've got another 100 new lines on the site this week. Everything from new Cheeki bottles to healthy and organic juicing supplements. Aliza is now working with us two days a week adding a mass of photos and other information to this site so expect more pictures soon. And - as we continue to get busier and busier we've been able to drop our prices on many lines - we hope you notice the difference too!

100 New Lines This Week :-)

We've been busy - 100 new lines added this week :-) Thanks for your ongoing support which helps make this possible. We've also got 100s of new product images which we hope to be adding to the online store next week...Keep watching.

Organics is better for ALL of us!

I don't normally copy a letter word for word but this response in the SMH to the recent organics reports is excellent:

"Once again, a study reduces organic food to a measurable collection of nutrients with a high price tag (‘‘Organic food is no better but at least it’s expensive’’, July 31). Such studies miss the vital point: organic food is a farming and food production method, not a nutritional value. The nutrient outcome may or may not be higher, but the values that food represents are equally important.

Organic food supports production methods that put soil health and land-care methods centre stage. With salinity and with rivers bled dry to produce cheap food and fibre, land health is vital to our long-term ability to feed ourselves. For many organic food supporters (I am a certified organic retailer), the amount of vitamin A in different units of food is irrelevant.

Society devalues food as we allocate less and less of our budget to it. This puts producers in the difficult position of producing similar ‘‘output’’ under constant pressure. Cramming more chickens into sheds leads to equal nutritional output, at better value to the consumer, but does nothing for the chickens, or for our sense of living reasonably and humanely. Such examples permeate our expectations of ‘‘cheap’’ food and explain why topsoil is rapidly disappearing while food insecurity rises for billions.

How I buy everything determines how I want society to be. Do I buy the cheapest clothes, knowing they come from sweat shops in Asia, or do I seek out more expensive, Australian-made clothes, knowing that keeps a fellow Australian employed? Do I buy Chinese pet food (much better value) or seek an Australian product?

If food is merely combinations of vitamins, minerals, fibre, GI value and so on, wrapped up in kilojoules, you might as well swallow a pill. For those of us who value food, such studies are odious. The implicit reasoning behind them suggests that obtaining daily nutrition should be run only through the filter of ‘‘economic value’’.

Peter Kenyon Turramurra"

Kombu CSA Coming Soon

Some very exciting news from Kombu - we are going to be launching a Community Supported Agriculture scheme here in Bellingen. It will be open to everyone in the local region - and once established we will be very happy to support the development of a CSA in your area. Not sure what a CSA is? Check out the Wikipedia Info here...

Nanotchnology Concerns

It was not a surprise to read an article on the ABC News site recently expressing concern about the growing use of nanotechnology. To quoter a short section of the article:

"The union movement is worried that workers in the nanotechnology sector might be facing a health time bomb similar to asbestos. Nanotechnology is now used in more than 800 everyday items, including car fuel lines, bed sheets, building materials, cosmetics and sunscreens."

The assistant secretary of the ACTU, Geoff Fary, says that is putting workers at risk: "Remember when asbestos was introduced, it was considered to be a miracle product, and it wasn't until many years later that we found the devastating effect it had," he said. "There should be an abundance of caution with nanotechnology to make sure that we're not going to reap a similar awful harvest in years to come."

Kombu Wholefoods is working to ensure we do NOT stock any products in store that contain nanotechnology. We will no longer stock any products where the suppliers cannot confirm that the products are safe to use. Many sunscreen suppliers use clever wording rather than bring the nano word onto labels...Be careful when you buy!

Busy Week at Kombu!

Autumn is fast approaching and despite word of recession we are busier than we have ever been. The global media has also been busy with talk of organics - see the food news thread for more news there.

We've finally got ECOtankas back into the store...And they have still been going out nearly as fast as we can get them in! We've been doubling our orders each time and this time we reckon they'll be here for good!

More new products coming out soon from ECOtanka - a 2 litre bottle and Kooler covers in different shades...Keep watching :-)

In the meantime we hope you are having some time out from our busy world to enjoy the changes in the seasons. Happy Autumn!

Retail Survey Shows Kombu To Prosper

We're celebrating the recently released RetailWire.com / Dechert-Hampe report, "Retail Formats in Transition".

RetailWire was launched in 2002 and has over 45 000 members in the retail industry. Dechert-Hampe is an independent management-consulting firm.

Not surprisingly, given the current recession, the report emphasises that economic trends will be a big influence on which retail store formats will prosper and which will fade over the next few years.

However, tight budgets will not be the only factor, and perhaps not even the most important influence on the types of stores prosper. In fact, according to the study findings, customers looking for attentive customer service and pleasant shopping environments may trump economic imperatives in driving where they choose to shop.

Respondents forecast that stores such as Kombu and neighbourhood markets are among those that will do best - driven by key factors such as "value for money", and a "pleasant shopping experience."

Information, News and Views From Kombu Online...

This news is sourced from a variety of news sources and is shared on this site as part of our policy of proactively working to create a better world for us and our children. Links to some of the sites from where we access our news can be found on our Useful Links page.

Older Food News items are archived on our Food News Archive page.

We update this page regularly. If you have any news to share please let us know.
Last update: 30th September 2009

The Kombu - Obama Connection...

We've been finding it hard not to jump on the Obama frenzy (or perhaps it is just a collective sigh of relief) around the world...But we gave in when we found the following snip in the latest Newsweek. Does this mean we can claim a link with the Obama clan?

"When Barack Obama was elected, foodies rejoiced. Finally, they thought, a president who enjoys the pleasures of fine dining and the virtues of healthy eating! In November, San Francisco chef Alice Waters, a pioneer of the organic-food movement, wrote an open letter to the president-elect, suggesting that his eating habits could set an example for the rest of the country. Waters, along with Gourmet magazine's Ruth Reichl and New York restaurateur Danny Meyer, offered to serve as Obama's informal "kitchen cabinet." Their first suggestion: Obama should hire a new White House chef who would cook local, seasonal, organic meals for the first family, preferably with items grown in a presidential garden. Soon enough, big-name candidates for the job began to circulate, including Art Smith, Oprah Winfrey's personal chef, and Rick Bayless, the man behind Chicago's Topolobampo, one of the Obamas' favorite haunts. But then Michelle Obama announced that the family would stick with Cristeta Comerford, President Bush's chef since 2005 and the first woman to hold the job. A minor kerfuffle erupted. They kept Bush's chef? Had Obama offended the foodies?

It turns out the gastronomers didn't have their facts straight, so they ended up with egg on their faces. While Bush never hid his love for hot dogs and burgers, Comerford had actually been serving organic meals to the outgoing family for years..."

SOURCE: Newsweek

Store Update - New Things and Photos!

We've been busy since Christmas and have added another 50 new lines to the store this week. We also have the wonderful Luara working with us. She has been busy taking some stunning stock photos and putting them online. Check out the new Ecosilk bag range for some of her work.

New Lines Again This Week / ECOtankas back

Hi!

We've got another dozen new lines this week ranging from EcoCover for your garden to Weleda Blackthorn Elixir for your vitality.

We've also got ECOtankas back in stock. They have been selling out as fast as they come in but this time we've managed to secure hundreds of them with a promise of more to come so they'll be in stock right through until Christmas...Talking of which they make amazing presents!

Click Here to see the ECOtanka range at Kombu

Fresh Fruit and Veg

Because of ongoing problems with delivery of fresh fruit and veg we have come to the decision that we will no longer be supplying fresh fruit and veg online. We apologise for any inconvenience. Fresh fruit and veg makes up a very small percentage of online sales but accounts for 99% of problems. Stopping online supply of these lines will allow us to focus on the core online business and dedicate more time to you - our customers.

We apologise if this change causes you any inconvenience.

Books Now Categorised

We've added another 40 new items this week...And with our growing book collection decided it was finally time to organise them into loose categories.

We also hope that all books will have summaries and photos soon...We're working on it!

Buying In Bulk Now Easier!

As you may know we have only been able to sell bulk items by the kg...Which is OK if you want 2kg of spuds but not so good if you want 250g of peas....Well that is all about to change!

We have invested in a new system that will allow you to buy in bulk in a range of quantities from 100g right up to 10kg...And each option will be individually priced so you can see how much you will be spending.

An exciting new development for us and we hope it will work well for you too...And it came in earlier than we had predicted - you can see it live now on any bulk item. We hope it makes shopping @ Kombu even easier than before. :-)

Australians Spend More Online...

It seems that Australians and Kiwis share the rare distinction of being the nationalities most likely around the globe to make online purchases.

A survey conducted by Coremetrics, a digital marketing company revealed that Australian and New Zealand consumers are twice as likely to buy products online, when compared to their UK counterparts.

The ongoing growth of Kombu online is one example of the growth of online shopping in Australia. We've added another 15 new lines this week and expect development of our new online bulk food pricing and ordering software to be completed within a week. Exciting times and great to share them with you.

Local Fruit and Veg Coordinator Appointed!

Kombu Wholefoods has embraced the increasing focus towards locally produced food with Peter Papandreou joining the team as the local organic produce coordinator.

Peter has had a long relationship with fruit and veg, growing up and working in his father and grandfather's fruit and veg shops and farm. His Aunt and Uncle still run an organic dairy business and Peter will be juggling his new Kombu position with his recent purchase of an organic farm in the Thora Valley.

The rapidly increasing price of oil has highlighted some of the financial advantages of locally produced organic produce. It has travelled considerably less distance and significantly less petrochemicals have been used in the production process. This means a lower price at the farm gate and a better price for consumers in store.

There are other benefits as well - money remains in the local area where it can be spent time and again and the produce is as fresh as can be when placed on the shop shelves - usually having been picked that same morning.

Focusing increasingly on locally produced food is something that has been a long term vision of Kombu Wholefoods partners Kevin and Lowanna Doye. Explained Kevin: "Before we set up Kombu we developed a Mission Statement to guide us through the development of the store. This states: 'Where possible we will source regional produce because it is fresher, more affordable, supports the local community and is more sustainable for the environment".

"It is great that we are now at the point where we can look beyond the almost 50% of local produce that filled the shelves last summer and work with the dedicated local growers in this area to head towards an even higher ratio in this coming growing year. We believe this is the future of food in a world reaching peak oil, great for the local area, and embrace the changes and challenges ahead of all of us."

58 New Products This Week!

We are continuing to grow with another 58 new products this week. Included amongst that list are the exciting ECOtankas and some great new cheeses from Barambah...More on them on the front page!

Enjoy :-)

More Photos and Information on Site

This week we've added...

Another 75 new products :-)
More descriptions about our lines :-)
A few more photos (with lots more to come!) :-)

Wishing you a very happy online shop @ Kombu

Kitchen Equipment Information Is Here!

We are pleased to announce that we have added a mass of information about our key Kitchen Equipment range.

We only keep what we believe is the best equipment there is - and unless you already know exactly what you want, you are going to need some information to help you with your decision...

While there is a mass of information up here we always welcome e-mails asking for more information so please don't hesitate to contact us!

You can find the all-new Kitchen Range here.

Kombu Sponsored Film Festival Great Success

The finale of the first Bellingen Local Food took place recently at the Memorial Hall in Bellingen. The event was co-organised and sponsored by Kombu Wholefoods.

The combination of a delicious organic meal made from food sourced from the local area, an entertaining and informative movie followed by a discussion panel was obviously too good to miss, with tickets selling out a week in advance.

The delicious food, donated free of charge by local growers and prepared free of charge by local cater Amy Macrae of Guru Food, was snapped up by 110 hungry guests (see photo to the right of this article). The movie "The Real Dirt on Farmer John" was watched by 160 entertained guests, with many remaining for the expert discussion panel.

The series of three events that made up the inaugural Festival was attended by over 300 people - and the word on the street is that it is likely to be back again even bigger and better next year.

The Festival also raised a significant sum for the Local Food Network - meaning that the positive impacts of the Festival will keep on reverberating for months to come.

More Product Info Here Now!

When heading through the site you'll find that some of the items now have a little more information underneath the item headers...This is to give you more info but also to help if you use the search option. With 2500 items we're not there yet with every item but hope to get the lists completed in the next couple of weeks.

Coming up next week...A heap more product photos, more product info, more articles and some background on some of the bigger items we hold in store.

New Online Shop Coordinator

We're very happy to announce that Ingrid is going to be working hard to make this online store the best in the world...With more organic foods and healthfoods than anywhere else at the best prices possible...

So be expecting to see more photos, more articles and more offers on this site over the next few months.

Welcome Ingrid :-)

We're Growing!

We have just grown! Our store in Bellingen has just had an extension completed - giving us more room to pack online orders and more room for some great new products. Again this week we have added another 50 new lines and there are more to come...

Raw Goat and Cows Milk Available

We now have raw goats and organic raw cows milk available in store.

Pasteurizing milk destroys enzymes and reduces the vitamin content by over 50 percent. Raw milk contains beneficial bacteria such as lactobacillus acidolphilus which holds the putrefactive bacteria in check. This is why raw milk will eventually curdle and sour if allowed to sit at room temperature. Pasteurized milk, not having any beneficial bacteria or enzymes, eventually rots.

So why do we pasteurize milk? 1) It extends the shelf life of milk from five days to several weeks and 2) It enables the farmer to have lower standards of cleanliness.

At the moment it is illegal for us to sell unpasteurized cows milk for human consumption in NSW. We therefore only sell it for use as a cosmetic.

No Homogenised Milk Products in Store

We work hard to keep the food we sell as healthy as possible.

Homogenizing milk has been linked to the rise in arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and heart disease. The culprit is an enzyme in milk called xanthine oxidase (XO) which partly survives pasteurization (40 percent). When the cream in milk is in it's natural state, the fat globules are too large to go through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream.
Homogenization changes that by straining the fat through tiny pores under great pressure. XO attaches to the fat molecules (now reduced in size but increased in amount a hundred times) which are now small enough to get into the bloodstream and do its damage.

We therefore work hard to make sure that we do not sell any homogenized products at Kombu Wholefoods.

More Photos online....

We have added another 500 product photos to the site today. We hope you'll enjoy seeing even more of what you buy!

Busiest Month Ever!

Last month has proved to be our busiest month since we opened just over 3 years ago. A combination of this new online store and a really busy month in store in Bellingen resulted in some very busy and tired Kombu people...Tired but happy!

Many thanks for shopping with us. Us being so busy means that there are even more of you guys getting great food and that is good for everyone. Happy shopping!

Kombu Expands

We are currently busy building a new extension to the rear of our store in Bellingen. This will not only allow us to expand the store but will also give us a dedicated online order processing area. This means that online orders will all be processed in one location by dedicated staff - which will result in even faster deliveries of our orders.

Bulk Prices Drop

We have just agreed a great deal with one of our key suppliers - and we are pleased to be able to pass the full benefit onto our customers. Many of our organic bulk lines have dropped considerably in price, some by up to $4 per kg.

Kombu Newsletter Archive

September 2007 Newsletter (PDF Download)

48 New Products This Week!

We've been very busy with Christmas sales...but have still found time to add 48 new products to the site this week. You will find many of them listed here.. If you would like more information on any of them please feel free to get in touch.