Mad Wholefoods in Summer Hill
MAD Wholefoods opened in Summer Hill in April 2020 with the plan to change the way we shop. Owner and operator Rob Price had been working in the IT industry for 30 years when he decided to make a drastic change in his life. During a trip to Byron Bay with his wife Kylie, he was inspired by a shop selling loose, package-free products and saw a gap in the market in his local Summer Hill community. From that trip, MAD Wholefoods was born.
The shop is conveniently located on Lackey Street in Summer Hill, just down the street from the station and across from the car park. When you enter the shop, the first thing that hits you is the aroma, a wonderful combination of spices, herbs, soaps and teas, which envelops you and draws you further into the compact yet beautifully stocked store.
Rob has worked hard to fit out the shop in such a way that all the products are easy to access, and it has a great flow to it. On one side are all the different flours, pastas, dried fruit and treats, while the other side of the shop houses the nuts, pulses and coffee beans. Each product is clearly labelled with any allergens and its country or region of origin. Rob is working very hard to reduce his carbon footprint and source items as locally as possible.
Running up the middle of the shop is an array of teas and spices, again all labelled with their origin. The various chai it stocks are blended in Summer Hill for example, while the honey can be traced to the exact location of the hive where it was harvested.
The whole shop is plastic free, something that has become essential to the operation of the business. A new delivery of potato chips in compostable packaging had arrived the previous day and were located front and centre on the display during our visit.
A click and collect service is available through the MAD Wholefoods website, however Rob explained to me that many of his customers like to come in and see the products. So he also offers a service whereby you can drop in with your containers from home, let Rob and his team know how much and what you would like, and they will fill them for you to collect later that day.
There are also a number of pre-packaged items, made up from ingredients within the store, for example, a soup mix which just need to have some stock and veggies added or a delicious chocolate brownie mix which can be baked easily at home, all with accompanying recipes on their website. These pre-packaged items can also be added to a hamper that customers are encouraged to stock themselves from the wide variety of choices in the store, these have been very popular gift items for Christmas and Mother’s Day.
Rob is extremely knowledgeable about all the products he stocks and is very happy to chat about his suppliers and all the ways he is working hard to make a difference to the way people shop.
MAD Wholefoods is open every day of the week, check out their website here: www.madwholefoods.com.au
MAD Wholefoods, 16 Lackey Street, Summer Hill 2130, phone: 0402 745855
This store was visited by Liz Wellman, inner west resident, mother-of-two and owner of Cake That By Liz.
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