After 15 years, the popular Yandina business, Jeffers, changed hands in June last year. New owners Colleen Bichel and Nicky Kinna have maintained the essence of the much loved store, as well as bringing to the business a passion for and commitment to education about food and its vital role in health. Recently they have changed the shop name to Real Food Market.

“Jeffers were always about local, seasonal produce,” said Nicky. “And today we continue to buy tomatoes, avocados, persimmons and fruit trees from the Jeffers family, and source as much of our fresh organic/ spray free produce as we can from local growers who are also giving back to the land via their production processes. 

“There are huge variations in the nutritional and associated medicinal value of food, based on how it is grown. We find local farmers who love their soil (particularly their humus) and the environment, and understand that pesticides and chemicals have no place where food is involved. These farmers produce the best quality and best tasting produce.”

Colleen has a Masters degree in Health Promotion and has studied both nutritional farming and permaculture.  

Her knowledge and experience  has greatly influenced the direction she and Nicky are taking the business in. 

“I have worked for Queensland Health for many years, planning promotions and education around public health and looking at approaches to prevent chronic illness in communities,” she said. 

“A proactive, preventative health approach is by far the best way to go and in-store we strive to connect people with food that creates health and wellness. We encourage people to move away from the modern western diet that creates chronic diseases and once again eat seasonally and locally grown foods.

“We stock a large range of products and specialty items for people with specific dietary issues,” said Colleen. “There has certainly been an increase in the prevalence of issues like coeliac disease and diabetes and the community need access to healthy alternative foods. 

“We also stock a large range of plant based options including cheeses and milks, and products that support gut health. Eighty percent of our immune system is in our gut and influences how we feel mentally and physically.

We guarantee that our fresh produce will last longer and taste better. We know this because we deliberately seek out produce that is nutrient dense. Nutrient dense foods have higher levels of minerals, antioxidants and vitamins, they are naturally better for you and stay alive longer.

“We look at factors such as food miles, which have an environmental impact. But studies are also overwhelmingly demonstrating that the closer you are to the area where your food is grown, the better it is for your health. It is fascinating. In an ideal world, everyone would have a veggie patch in their own backyard. I can walk around our shop and tell you where every product has come from. We encourage people to move away from the modern western processed diets that create chronic diseases and eat seasonally and locally grown real foods.”

In keeping with a strong environmental consciousness, even the produce bags used are made from fully compostable sugar cane waste.

“Often people think that smaller businesses like ours are far more expensive, but we offer groceries and bulk foods at the same price as large retailers,” said Nicky. “During COVID, we started a home delivery service which has proven to be very popular, so we have decided to keep it.”  Free delivery is available to customers in Yandina and neighbouring suburbs and orders can be places online or over the phone.

In the spirit of educating people about the role of food in maintaining optimum wellness, the Real Food Market has started working with a local chef to present cooking classes with a focus on gluten free and plant based recipes. “The next one is this month and due to restrictions, numbers will be limited,” Colleen said. “You can find out more about the next class by checking our Facebook page @realfoodmarket or instagram page real_food_market_yandina.

• Real Food Market 1/14 Farrell Street, Yandina.  ph: 5446 8944  www.realfoodmarket.com.au