Up to 18 different stalls hosted by local producers from around Southland showed off their wares at a joint venture between Invercargill Central, Great South and the Invercargill City Council, held in Invercargill Central.
Robbies owners and Gore residents Josie and Gus Robinson will mark their 10th year in business next April.
Their business started in the kitchen at home with Mrs Robinson’s grandmother’s recipe for red and green tomato relish.
"So it’s celebrating my heritage in a jar, with what I grew up with."
And "Robbie" was Mr Robinson’s grandfather’s call sign while he was a pilot in World War 2.
"So it’s a tribute to our grandparents."
After the pickles came Nana’s Worcestershire sauce.
"Then bread and butter pickles and then it’s a bit of a blur."
The couple were staunch Southland supporters. When their own garden could not provide their ingredients, where possible, they sourced ingredients from local growers to keep their products authentically Southland-made.
"We’re just trying to align with families, with values and hardworking ... so we try and help do that first," Mrs Robinson said.
Heirloom and spray-free tomatoes and cucumbers come from Invercargill’s Koha Kai.
"So then my relish is just like my Nana made because of those tomatoes.
"So there’s little nuggets of Southland growers all through this."
What started off as a hobby where goodies were given to friends, challenged Mrs Robinson to give up her fulltime job and start the business.
"I thought, I’d quit the job and give it a decent crack. And here we are, I never would have imagined we’d ever have done what we’ve done.
The market world delivered a harsh life-lesson.
But perseverance steered her towards establishing her niche of producing something with a point of difference.
Their product was now sold from Waiheke Island to Bluff.
The couple were constantly approached by "big players" in the market.
"But I’ve said ‘no’.
"They won’t ever do this the way I do it and the recipes are ones I’ve created and my grandmother’s."
She is still working from her registered home kitchen and new product lines are constantly being trialled.
"The creative freedom I have, I absolutely love.
"... My thinking is out of the box, which means I can pivot when I need to ...like the Noir Garlik [sauce] — it’s won three awards."
Winton-based Wild Daisy Creations owner Kelly Duffy loved the idea of being able to showcase her home-based creations.
"It’s such a good opportunity for Southlanders to showcase their product."
Most of her woolly-ball creations were marketed online and through social media.
They were popular decorative baby gifts. But the eco-friendly reusable car air freshener was her most popular item.
"It’s really hard to get your name out here, so with the foot-traffic today it’s really cool.
"It gets people to support local businesses."
It was the first time she had showcased her wares in a space dedicated to Southland-only products as the craft shows were open to everyone, she said.
Businesses often started off small at a home where family life was flexible and easier to blend with work but still needed balance, she said.
- By Toni McDonald
