Cam and Dee Harmer are taking the first few steps to only stocking items that do not contain any kind of artificial ingredients at their Providore in Khancoban.

The idea to only use preservative free items has long been a vested dream for the couple.

Their aim is that by the end of 2025 the Pickled Parrot Providore will only stock preservative free items in the grocery store and only cook with preservative free items in the café.

By reducing their preservative items the Harmers want to showcase local produce at its best and making cooking much simpler.

“It really is rather easy to cook without preservatives,” Cam said.

“We have been doing it for years, only now we choose to make it a thing in our grocery section of the providore.”

So far throughout the first six months of 2024 Cam and Dee have been slowly reducing items from the grocery store including bottled juice, muesli bars and tinned foods which have been replaced with preservative free options. This has been a gradual change, simply of when one item sells out, they have been re-ordering the alternative.

While the change is still underway the couple is very excited for what the future holds for their shop.

“The community is yet to really take much notice of the change because of who we are and how we cook has always kept in line with preservative free, wholesome cooking anyway,” Dee said.

“It’s the changes to the grocer that have been so slow and gradual but it has never really come as a shock to anyone that our next step was to become fully preservative free by 2025.”

The couple originally hoped to have their store sitting under the preservative free banner by next year but they say they will feel more confident saying the end of 2025 will ensure no food wastage occurs during this change. The Pickled Parrot Providore is open seven days a week and welcomes everyone to come and experience their food, shop their local giftware and stock up on weekly grocery supplies.

This article appeared in the Corryong Courier, 1 August 2024.