As a family business, it's no surprise that our producer Will Brook from Brookfarm mentions family, family and more family when chatting about his plans for Christmas. Here's what he had to say:
In a few words, tell us how 2021 has been for you and the business. (spare the expletives, ha!)
2021 has been a bit of a roller coaster. I know everyone will say this but COVID has thrown many curve balls our way...
The food service industry in particular has been doing it tough and I really feel for those passionate cafe owners who have had their business almost completely disappear.
At Brookfarm we have really come together as a team and focused on what is at the core of what we do. On the farm we have installed wildlife boxes to bring native fauna to the rainforest, we have expanded our regenerative farming program with tree management and inter-row plantings. On the manufacturing side of the business we have revamped our bars to create a Paleo range, and they are delicious!
What's on your Christmas wish-list?
The main thing on my Christmas wish list is for my kids to be able to hang with their cousins who’ve been separated by border closures for many months. Apart from that I’m very happy spending time with with my family crew on the beach for a week or so.
Where will you be spending Christmas day?
Christmas day is the same for us and I love it. We wake up at my wife Jess’s parents house, most of her family stay at the house (and its a big family). We wake up and have a big breakfast, then its presents under the tree and playtime. After that we shoot over to Mum and Dad’s at Brookfarm for a boozy lunch, a swim in the pool, and we often end up in a food coma by the end of the day.
Who will you be sharing the day with?
Family is everything for us at Christmas, its all family, all day - on both mine and Jess’s side.
Favourite Christmas tradition.
The family meals are my favourite, I know its the same every year, but having everyone gathered around the table, eating great food, laughing, and telling stories, it doesn’t get much better than that.
Favourite Christmas food/ drink.
That is a tough one but I would have to go with BBQ prawnsand sticky date pudding with brandy caramel sauce.
Tell us about your amazing product(s), and what makes them extra special at Christmas time?
Our products start with quality and taste. Every product (whether it be muesli, granola, porridge) that Mum has created (yes they are all still created by Mum in the family kitchen) has to taste great first, no matter the dietary requirement, be it Keto, Gluten Free, Fruit Free, Paleo, or anything in between. Christmas is a time to treat yourself and share the foods your love with your friends and family and I think our products are perfect for this time of year.
What's your food philosophy at Christmas time?
My food philosophy is all about local and quality. We get as much as we can from local stores, farms, or farmers markets. The seafood, the meat, the veggiesare all local, we know the suppliers, and we know they care about the quality of their product.
What’s coming up in your business for 2022? Let us know about any new products you are working on.
As the world opens up as Covid restrictions relax I’m looking forward to getting back to business as usual. We love to get together as a team at Brookfarm, sharing Birthday celebrations and events and I can’t wait for that to come back fully. We are also looking forward to being able to travel and see our wonderful customers again. We always have new products on the go in the kitchen - there are ingredients everywhere on the kitchen bench, for now its all top secret though.
What are you looking forward to over the summer?
I’m looking forward to sunny days on the beach with the family, sharing good food and drink with friends. Its a great time to relax and reflect on the most important things in life and the positive impact you can have on the world - starting with those around you.
