Hi! 👋 Merry Christmas, and thank you
This was going to just be a quick email to let everyone know that we are closing our warehouse over the Christmas/New Year period (more information below), but we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to thank everyone for their support this year, which has been our best yet despite challenging seasons for our farmers down south.
Your continuing support allows us to pay growers what they need to stay viable in a tricky market dominated by processors, imports and cheap food, and for that we thank you.
One of our hopes for the year ahead is to spend more time communicating about everything happening in the SovFoods world. To bring you along for the ride as we navigate a changing food system and work to ensure the farmers trying to do the right thing continue to get support. I am hoping to make sure we are sending out some sort of communication each month or so to keep you in touch with what is happening with the crops, our growers and anything else that is important.
Anyway, that is it from me. I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you for all your support in 2025 and, from all of us at Sovereign Foods, wish you a Merry Christmas and a meaningful, healthy New Year.
Thor Svensen
Founder / Director
Sovereign Foods
And now the important information...
We will be closing over the Xmas Break
As we approach the festive season, please note that the Sovereign Foods team will be taking a break from 23 December until 5 January.
During this time, our warehouse and office will be unstaffed, so we will not be processing orders and there will not be anyone in the office to respond to queries while our team takes a well-deserved break.
Given the unpredictable nature of freight and courier services during this period, we believe it is best to pause operations and return refreshed when things normalise.
The last orders will be dispatched on Monday, 22 December, and we will resume shipping on 5 January.
To ensure your orders arrive before Christmas, please take note of the rough cut-off dates for each courier below. With the entire supply chain working at full capacity during this busy season, delays are likely. We strongly recommend placing your orders as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
| State | Australia Post | StarTrack | Couriers Please |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACT | 19/12 | 23/12 | 19/12 |
| NSW Metro | 19/12 | 23/12 | 19/12 |
| NSW Regional | 18/12 | 19/12 | 16/12 |
| NT | 12/12 | – | – |
| QLD Metro | 22/12 | 22/12 | 19/12 |
| QLD Regional | 19/12 | 19/12 | 17/12 |
| SA | 19/12 | 19/12 | 17/12 |
| TAS | 18/12 | 18/12 | – |
| VIC Metro | 19/12 | 22/12 | 19/12 |
| VIC Regional | 18/12 | 19/12 | 16/12 |
| WA | 17/12 | 17/12 | – |
The year ahead
We are in for more challenges this coming year as the dry continues down south. Organic rice crops have failed, but luckily we have managed to track down chemical-free rice from the folks at Marlivale Farm in Northern NSW. They still had a lower than usual crop, but at least it is something until the next rice harvest in May.
Steve and Tania Walter from Burrum Biodynamics supply most of our grain and our red lentils. Thankfully, they had a bit of a soft finish to the season, with some rain and a cold spell, but a late frost in November will throw a random element into the mix.
We discuss some of the conditions required to fill grain and achieve good protein in The Gluten Story: Understanding This Fascinating, Controversial Ingredient . They almost had the perfect finish, but late frosts just as the grains fill mean we are not really sure what we will get.
We will find out in January when the crops are in the silo, so stay tuned. Burrum are starting harvest now, with the rye, oats, Yecora and Purple Straw looking good. The Scout, not so much.
Unfortunately, the dry start meant Burrum were not able to get any spelt in the ground this year. We have a few leads on supply, but we will need to find a contract dehuller with the necessary equipment. Not many farms have it, and there is also a movement towards free-threshing spelt, which is hybridised spelt without the hull.
This means we may have to ship our spelt around a little to make sure you are getting the real deal. We will update you more when we next send something out.
Thank you for choosing to support Australian producers!
About Us
Sovereign Foods is a Brisbane based, community built initiative, created to support community food systems based on transparency, sustainability and self-determination.
© Sovereign Foods
2/8 Lucy Street, Moorooka, Australia, 4105