We may be just a small farm, a small community but...

G’day Folks,

Jose Mujica once said “ There are those who believe that power is up above, and they do not notice that it is actually in the hearts of the great masses”. We are blessed to live in such a lucky country where those words may not carry the same weight as they do in the corrupt and poverty stricken country he lives in. Our lives are far more comfortable than the majority who live in Uruguay, so comfortable in fact that most can easily tune out from the things that need our attention.

I recently read about Jose's remarkable struggle and sacrifice towards a better and fairer future for his fellow countryman and his unwavering belief that change happens when communities are united by their values and shared vision.

This powerful and moving story invigorated my thinking about the issues we are all concerned about and why we feel so powerless to do anything about them, when in fact we are living proof of Jose’s belief in the power of the masses when their hearts begin to align.

We may be just a small farm, a small community but from small things big things can grow. Already not just ourselves but many other local and non-local farmers are getting a fair deal for their efforts. The money you have spent has gone only to farmers who care about the food they grow and the land it’s grown on.

Your money has not gone offshore to a corporate tax haven overseas or international investors, it has gone to Aussie farming families who are part of a rural community, who’s kids go to the local school and who’s money is put back into the local economy. Your money is opening the door to a possible future where food once again becomes our medicine, where farmers a once again respected and the ecosystem we all depend on nurtured.

I believe we share these values and whilst our community is small, we are still a part of the great masses Jose refers to. If you have joined the Sohip community, it means you're the type of person who is willing to sacrifice a little convenience and put in a little extra effort to get your fruit and veggies. Now there can only be a handful of reasons you're willing to do this, here I think are just some.

You're someone who just can't live without good food,
You care about your health and that of the environment,
You just love seeing a young family having a go,
You value fairness for farmers,
You want to support businesses that care about the things you care about,
You believe farmers should grow food that provides nourishment to humans whilst caring for the land,
You want to buy from someone you can trust and rely upon,
You don't want to live in a world where family farms are a relic from our past,
You are worried about the consolidation of farms by corporations and what that entails for our food system,
You simply want connection with the people who grow the food you eat, just like it was in the old days,
You value community over corporations.

Whether you align with just one of these values or a few, we are in at least some ways united, our hearts at least in part are in alignment and we become the great masses when our shared values and vision weld us together.

You're not supporting a farmer or a family, you're supporting a vision united by shared values, you and I are harnessing the power generated when a bunch of humans come together and decide they want change.

No matter how insignificant you feel as an individual each choice you make weaves a tiny stitch in the fabric we call life and when we all start weaving together, the fabric we create is not only more vibrant and beautiful, but it is thicker, more durable and can be passed on to others for them to add to. The wonderful things in life we enjoy today were not created by pure chance, they were created by groups of humans who stitched their threads together and made many sacrifices in doing so. We owe it to those who have gone before us to not only protect and pass on their work, but to add to it.

Without you doing your part, we don't exist, we vanish into the past like every other small farm that got devoured by the increasing worship of economic growth and efficiency and its ostensible moral imperative to provide a gluttony of cheap food despite the tearing apart of the things we value most.

Thank YOU for joining us on this epic journey & supporting Your local farmer!