The 29th April was a full day of fun and food for a dozen keen residents on the Food, Farm and Factory Tour. Our tour bus met us at Beenleigh and from there it was not the number of kilometres traveled that mattered but the variety of places visited and the interesting information provided by our driver and guide.
First stop – the Beenleigh Quilters. Here was an opportunity to admire their handi-work, and enjoy the tasty home-made morning tea. Then onto Poppy’s Chocolate Factory, where we were greeted with a sample of their wares before venturing in-side to admire the range of creations, and to watch the chocolate makers at work. With Easter just gone, there were some fantastic bargains to be had! Yum.
For those with a more savoury bend, the next stop was their little piece of heaven, as Gotz-inger’s, specialising in Euro-pean smallgoods, generously feted us with tastes of their products. Naturally, a number of goodies just begged to be bought.
Just across the road we explored Oz Cleen, makers of Shower Power and other similar environmentally friendly products. It was very pleas-ing to see a local manufacturer who cares so much about what goes into their product doing so well. Their machinery had been designed and built on site, and the only imported material was the plastic container. When their products are not being stocked by mainline stores, they can be bought online. Oz Cleen were generous in providing everyone with full size samples of their products
VIP Pet Foods combined with Darrell Lea Chocolates was the next venue. We know at least one loyal cat owner who explored the pet food available, but most gave in to their sweet tooth. We learned that the orange and green balls were definitely a good alternative to Jaffas.
After lunching on Yatala pies, our tour took us into the local cane area, where cane mulch is the big industry rather than the sugar. This is the biggest cane mulch factory in Australia, and here we saw a totally automated robot doing the stacking of the mulch packs. Apart from the cane mulch, the industry also produces a range of potting mixes, which take up to 12 weeks to prepare.
The finale of our trip was a stop at the Prawn Factory where the prawn lovers amongst us bought up our supplies. James always provides an interesting an entertaining commentary on his trips, and we look forward to further opportunities to explore the country-side with him and our Elements friends.
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