Celebrating Organics at the National Australian Organics Conference and Awards Night

As 2023 Australian Organics winners of Australian Organic Awareness Month (for promoting organics within our community and beyond!) Santos Organics was invited to attend the 2024 Australian Organics conference in Melbourne. The conference also hosts a gala dinner for award finalists, so we went with a spring in our step as finalists for the Retailer of the Year award! A second free ticket materialised shortly before the conference so Santos Organics was incredibly lucky to be able to send two team members to the conference - yay!! 😃

Each year leaders in the organics industry in Australia share their incredible knowledge of organic and regenerative practices that would fill even the most cynical person with hope. Hope for the future and health of the planet; with proof that healing the earth is possible if we take an earth-centred, holistic approach to both agriculture and life in general.

The presentations covered how other countries are having success, big movements in alternative energy, regenerative farming, sequestering carbon and net zero targets, circular economy, and innovative ways to repair the soil to support the health of people and the planet for generations to come. Some of the key reminders coming out of the conference were that organic agriculture has the ability to:

• Shift land use from monocultures to polycultures increasing biodiversity, regenerating soils, and promoting healthy ecosystems
• Protect waterways through efficient water management and preventing erosion and run off
• Reduce carbon emissions, especially when local growers can use local inputs and provide for their local communities to minimise food miles and carbon footprint
• Utilise waste locally including organic waste and effluent from livestock to create living soils
• Sequester huge amounts of carbon, especially when the use of livestock in a regenerative grazing model is applied
• Foster human health through enhanced nutrition, avoidance of pesticide and herbicide residues, and by improving gut health by supporting the microbiome through increased exposure to the good bugs and avoiding glyphosate which has been linked to leaky gut syndrome

Another strong theme coming out of the 2-day event was our power to create a paradigm shift by developing our relationship with the earth and a deep love of all life on earth; taking the time to slow down and LOOK very closely at the life around us and the impact our actions are having on it. This can be measured scientifically and experienced spiritually.

This idea was beautifully encapsulated with the quote:

“If you want to make small changes, change the way you do things; if you want to make major changes, change the way you SEE things.”

After such a big dose of eye opening, and heart opening discussions, the conference ended with a gala dinner to celebrate all the businesses who have worked so hard to create a better tomorrow. We were so honoured to have been selected among this cohort and were thrilled when we were announced as the winner of Australian Organic’s Retailer of the Year Award for our commitment to organics and our unique way of doing business - as a not-for-profit & environmental charity giving back to the local community, environment, and farmers.

Why we won Australian Organics Retailer of the Year!

We're not your typical grocery store. You may or may not know, we became a not-for-profit environmental charity in December 2016 and we’ve given back over $345K to other local not-for-profits and community groups that are doing good in the Northern Rivers. 

We have 3 shops stocked with thousands of products containing certified organic ingredients, 3 organic cafes, and an online store and warehouse to share our love for organics Australia-wide. We have a strong social media presence on Facebook; Instagram; and Pinterest and communicate regularly about our vision, our sustainable food and lifestyle products, and foster a lasting connection with our local community through positive engagement.

Winning this award gives us a pat on the back for our crazy passion and persistence to buy and sell ethically sourced products. Selecting certified organic products is just one of 14 points on our Ethics Manifesto for our product procurement, so when you buy at Santos Organics you can trust that it is good for you, for the growers and makers, and the planet. 

Post bushfires, COVID, and floods, witnessing the massive disruption to supply chains locally and nationally, we doubled down on our effort to support local food and economic security and our Grow the Growers Project was born in May 2023. 

We funded 8 local Northern Rivers farmers to financially assist them with their two major roadblocks:

• to assist with their certified organic application fees
• to assist with ongoing fees pending their outcomes. 

We also provided these 8 farmers a platform to sell their certified organic in-conversion produce in our three brick and mortar shops. The recipients were thrilled and said they would not have made this transition without the financial support from Santos Organics and we’re happy to announce that the project is growing!

We believe the way we do business supports a mutually beneficial relationship between our team, community, suppliers and Mother Earth and we’re passionate about sharing our knowledge with others to inspire them to think differently when they shop - looking for ethically sourced, certified organic products wherever possible and making positive lifestyle choices, thereby making small changes that have a big impact on the personal and planetary health. 

We are so grateful to all who are working in the certified organic space and Australian Organic for progressing the importance of certified organic. Lastly, but most importantly, we thank all who choose to vote with their wallets to create the change they want to see in the world. We are so proud to provide an avenue for people to do this and will remain 100% committed to providing the most ecological products at the best price to help make this change possible 🌏🙏🏽❤️