White’s IGA marks 30 years with cash giveaway

Roz and Michael White’s Locavore program supports producers & suppliers through the  hinterland. 

by Janine Hill

IF you live on the Sunshine Coast, chances are you have visited a White’s IGA store. 

Roz and Michael White have built up six IGA stores from Caloundra South through to Mount Coolum during three decades in business.

This year marks 30 years since they took their first step into the world of groceries and retail and they have decided to celebrate with a $30,000 giveaway - $20,000 in groceries for a customer and $10,000 for their chosen club, school or charity.

The Whites started out with the purchase of a Night Owl convenience store with three employees in Maroochydore in 1993.

In 1997, they went into a Night Owl at Mooloolaba, and then in 2002, took over a modest convenience store at Mount Coolum. Two years later, Bli Bli IGA became White’s IGA, which became White’s Supa IGA following a renovation and rebuild in 2013.

In 2004, the Whites acquired another grocery store at Mooloolah Valley. In 2016, they opened a new IGA at Peregian Beach, another at Baringa in 2019, and then at Forest Glen in 2022.

Every store showcases the White’s Locavore program – a movement that supports producers, suppliers and community throughout the Sunshine Coast and beyond. 

Roz said 35% of stock at every store was sourced from local growers, producers and suppliers.

“Our Locavore program is something that is totally distinctive to our six supermarkets. It helps customers to easily identify the abundant range of locally sourced, grown, and produced grocery goodies,” Roz said.

“When food is sourced locally, it travels less distance and stays almost as fresh and nutritious as the day it was plucked from the soil, trees or plants. It also puts dollars back into our community and supports Sunshine Coast families.”

For Roz, caring for people and planet is at the heart of every move the business makes.

“The choices we make as a business have the power to nourish, support and contribute to our community of workers, local families, businesses and producers as well as the future environment for our children and grandchildren. At White’s IGA, it’s imperative we give back as much, if not more than we take,” she said.

The White’s cash giveaway will be drawn on 26 October. Any customer who purchases an item from participating suppliers’ ranges can enter by writing their contact details and their preferred qualifying school, club or charity on the bottom of their transaction receipt and depositing the completed form in the in-store entry box.