Lock , stock and fully loaded ! The Kurmond Grocer opens its doors
The Kurmond Grocer opened its doors on 26 and 27 November to a great response from locals . New owners Naveen and Julieanne are local entrepreneurs that wanted to open a business that had an old school approach .
They wanted to open a simple , locally run grocer that supplied locally sourced produce , and listen to their customers feedback and allowing them to decide what they want to see in store .
“ Being locals within the Hawkesbury area , we just spoke to a lot of people and looked at a lot of competitors , and also went to visit a few farms in the area ,” Naveen said .
Naveen and Julieanne want to build relationships with their suppliers through open communication and interaction . They supply only the best local produce to customers and they also want to welcome local suppliers and farmers to come directly to the store to sell their produce .
Naveen said : “ It ’ s just surprising to see what actual support is being given to our Hawkesbury farmers , the Hawkesbury which at one stage had a history as the produce capital for Sydney has suppliers here that nobody knows about , so we are constantly going to be bringing in new items from local producers .”
The two Ash ’ s , Kathleen , Julieanne and Nav .
Their customer service gives them a competitive edge .
“ Gone are the days of interacting with customers with self-serve checkouts the new theme . Naveen believes in interaction with his customers and bringing back that local store mentality where the customer is cherished for their custom ,” Naveen commented .
“ We wanted to be able to source things for locals and the success of local supermarkets is based on the input of locals , and that ’ s where we ’ re able to interact with the community and really support them .
“ We are the small guy - against the giants . This makes us agile and able to change and customise our produce to what the area needs . Our main goal right now is less miles on our produce and less chemicals . We want to be frontline for health . We want everything we carry to be fresh and affordable while supporting our local area and growers .”
Naveen will always be in front of the business will have alongside him his fiancé Julieanne who he says is the brains , and also there to help will be his wonderful employees manager Kathleen ( local Kurrajong RFS Volunteer ) and the two Ash ’ s ; Ash G and Ash T .
The Kurmond Grocer will be open seven days and welcomes any local supplier , farmer , and trades to come in say hello .
Nav and Julieanne .
14 ISSUE 151 // DECEMBER 2022 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT