About the Buninyong Community Collective

August 2018 - A group of sustainably minded people (including Boomerang Bags Buninyong volunteers, Buninyong Sustainability, and BREAZE people) discussed the possibility of a collective or co-op, with Hayley Quach (who had run a private business selling local, organic wholefoods) we set up a "Pledge" form (See below) to see how much interest there was in taking part.

September 2018- The pledge was put together, with an invitation to a "Start up" meeting on Sunday the 9th of September, at 1pm. Initially, 51 people responded and about 25 people made it to the first meeting.

With this encouraging start, a project proposal was put toghether to present to BREAZE, so that a sub group could be formed, and insurance cover obtained, before continuing.

October 2018 - Venue organised, start up stock ordered, first members signed on, shelves and tubs organised, food handling certificate organised, stock collected. 

Sign on days were organised:

Tuesday 23rd October 2018 - Membership Day (at church 9:00am -10:00am & 5:00pm - 6:00pm)

Wednesday 24th October  2018- at Boomerang Bags - 1:00pm to 3:00pm, rear of 407 Warrenheip Street - Community House

Sunday 28 October 2018 - Join the Collective @ Buninyong Spring Market  9:00am to 2:00pm

Collective to Open  - November (Tuesdays  9:00am - 11:00am  & 5:00pm - 7:00pm)

Tuesday November 6th 2018 - shop opened at 405 Scott Street Buninyong

22nd November 2018 - 32 paid up members.

Tuesday 11th of December - We held a Celebration

"Come and join us on the 11th December for a pot luck dinner and food swap. In conjunction with our normal sales on this Tuesday, we will be running a Food Swap and Pot Luck from 5:00pm – 8:00pm.

So come and mix with all the new members, some you already know, and some are like minded people waiting to be friends! Give us your ideas to make our new venture even better!"

January 2019 - membership continues a slow steady growth, more stock chosen

February 2019 - Local Fresh Food arrives - member Georgie, from Sunny Patch Produce, brings her fresh veggies along to the morning sessions.  Another member Silke, arranges a trial of delivered Veggie Boxes to Buninyong, and a 10% discount for our members to try it out.

25th February 2019 - We have a great time talking to Buninyong locals at the Smart Building and Living Expo, and raised $700 for the collective from Buninyong Sustainability's raffle!  (Thanks to Bel and Jill for all the raffle work.) We used it to increase our stock options.

March 2019 - Boomerang Bags Buninyong joins us every Tuesday Morning to sew bags for the community. We add Mount Zero products to our stock.

March 2019 - Kristy applies for City of Ballarat small equipment grant, for more shelving, more food grade storate, and admin tools.

June 2019 - 50 Paid up members, and still looking for a Volunteer manager!

March 2020 - collective changes to an ordering system and deliveries, due to 🦠 COVID-19 🦠

March - December 2020

The collective plans to move to the new community house, but plans change due to the community house being a different venue that anticipated/believed. (Lucky we didn't reprint everything with a new address!) 

End of Memebrship year - October 31st - Decision to drop New Memebrship to $20

A small number of people still coming to the collective to order provisions, keeping it ticking over through this covid year.

Jan - June 2021

A quiet time in the first half of 2021, going with the flow of snap lockdowns, keeping safe, and dealing with the small number of active members.

62 Responses - we had wanted 50 or more to decide that it was worthwhile going ahead.

Buninyong Community Collective Pledge Survey

Join us!

Please note that the costs and hours of work may vary, depending on the level of support from the community.

To actually run this project, we will need from YOU:
1. SIX hours of volunteer labour (made up of three x 2 hour shifts, over a year)
2. $50 membership - our start up funds! (updated to $20 at the end of 2020)

Thank you to the Buninyong people who are getting this together for the rest of us - Hayley, Paul, Sam, Kristy, Jaimy, Kari, Belinda, Jill

 Q1. Email address
*This form is collecting email addresses.
Pledge your support, and volunteer hours to enable the creation of a Buninyong Community Co-op
Aims:
a.To provide the Buninyong community with minimal packaging, quality local and organic dry foods, and fresh home produce. - add other Local goods in the future.
b. Long term, become a trusted, financially sustainable, not-for-profit project.
Q2.What will you pledge?
Level 1 Support - $50 membership and 6 hours of volunteer work
Level 2 ( includes Level 1 above) plus willing to be in the organising group
Other…
Q3.Do you have specific knowledge, skills, equipment that you can donate to the co-op?

*
Q4.Can you come to our start up meeting on Sunday the 9th of September, at 1pm?
Yes
No
Unsure
Q5.Name
*
Q6.Do you wish to be added to the email list to be informed about our progress?
*
Yes
No

Q7.Comments (if you need to add anything)

We are launching! - Collective News Last Updated: 23 October 2018

Our management committee has been working behind the scenes to sort out the essentials.

More than 60 people have pledged for the Buninyong Community Collective, and now people ar turning up with cash to get it all going.

Where: Anglican church - 706 Warrenheip Street. Our "shop" will be in the hall at the rear, Scott Street 400 block.

We need your membership money to get started!

As soon as we have the BSB and Account number from our Buninyong Community Bendigo Bank, and the Membership process, we'll let you know how to sign up - meanwhile, come and see us at our Membership sign up days:

Tuesday 23rd October - Membership Day (at church 9:00am -10:00am & 5:00pm - 6:00pm)

Wednesday 24th October - at Boomerang Bags - 1:00pm to 3:00pm, rear of 407 Warrenheip Street - Community House

Sunday 28 October - Join the Collective @ Buninyong Spring Market 9:00am to 2:00pm

Collective to Open - November (Tuesdays 9:00am - 11:00am & 5:00pm - 7:00pm)

We will initially have a limited selection of goods.
Depending upon membership take up we will have around 10 varieties of goods.
This is based on the most popular goods sold at the other local collectives.
The Ballarat and Creswick Wholefood Collectives have been encouraging and we are discussing reciprocal rights for members.
Once we get settled we will look at a wider range of goods.
Thanks for being a part of it - our involvement as a community will ensure our success!

27th Sep - Report: The agreement with The Anglican Church of Australia hall in Scott street is coming together, insurance rules are being checked, and ways to collect your pledge money will be arranged soon!

10th Sep - Report: we are over our 50 start-up pledges now, and have held an initial meeting. The management team has been elected, and is working on finding a LOCATION for the collective, in Buninyong. The Anglican Church of Australia hall in Scott street is being investigated as a possibility.

Liaison with the other local food collectives is continuing.

To actually run this project, we will need from YOU:
1. SIX hours of volunteer labour (made up of three x 2 hour shifts, over a year)
2. $50 membership - our start up funds!

Thank you to the Buninyong people who are getting this together for the rest of us - Hayley, Paul, Sam, Kristy, Jaimy, Kari, Belinda, Jill

Buninyong Community Co-op

Project Proposal 05.08.2018 ─ Buninyong Community Co-Op

Overview

The people of Buninyong are committed to reducing their use of plastic, by not buying any in the first place. A bulk buy co-op that enables zero waste provision of goods is needed.

A proposal from Hayley Quach, Samantha Blanchard, Belinda Wardle, Jill Clarke - via board member Paul Duggan.

Goals

1. To provide the Buninyong community with minimal packaging, quality local and organic dry foods, and fresh home produce. Local goods in the future.
2. To become a trusted, financially sustainable, not-for-profit project.
3. To expand product lines, and then support more sustainable community projects with any excess funds.

Summary

High Impact Risks

- Getting a premises - Getting sufficient members - Members buying enough goods

Tasks to start up

A list of the actions, plans and documents that need to be in place to enable this project to begin and flourish.

1. Premises

Initial premise needs to be 6? 12? months to establish the business

The rent will need to be supported by the financial plan

Looking at:

Empty shops in Buninyong

1.The bottle shop building

2. Old Sew Special
3. Lion’s Club house?
4. Old Red Door - blue building
5. Anglican Church Hall

Ask the Buninyong Business Network- Belinda

Ask Lisa Cressy about the Pop-Up_Shop arrangement? -Jill

2. Start up $$

Grants:

2. City of Ballarat Community Impact Grant - Small Equipment Grants - set of scales, Bags, scoops, storage

Membership

- Price of membership will be defined by the financial plan - BREAZE funding??

3. Financial Plan/Business Model

10% markup, but for people who do more than 10 hours volunteering get dropped to a 5% markup.

Brown Hill - Wholefood Collective input - they started small, and built to 200 people.

Paul’s spreadsheet - estimate average $300 a week of sales

Membership 1. Pay $50 to join, then $20 a year 2. Work 6 hours 3. Work 10 hours or more per annum to get a 5% discount!

4. Storage

Shelving - Second Hand?

- Men’s Shed?

Rodent proof

5. Council permission

Apply for Level 4 food vendor certification

3

6. Insurance/Public Liability

BREAZE for public liability - Paul will be the Board liaison person.

Extra insurance for stock on hand? - self insure up to a value? $500 - $1000. When stock is worth more than $1000, get insurance. Keep a reserve of cash in the bank that is our “stock self insurance”?

Ongoing Issues & Tasks

, Brainstorming

1. Paid or subsidised person to maintain the food handling integrity?? 2. Rent 3. Equipment maintenance and replacement 4. Membership - $50 join, first year , $20 annually, 6 hours work a year,

three blocks of 2 hours. 5. 10 hours of volunteer work, get a purchase at cost price. 6. Marketing - logo design 7. Purchasing 8. Tag and test, Weights & Measures 9. Sales/Opening hours -

School drop and pick up times

10. Staff - 8 working hours, 2 people for 4 hours each

Volunteers to pack and clean up Purchasing work - 2 hours week

Meeting 9th of September 1pm - 2pm at the 408 Community House.

To begin a management committee to get the work done.

4

Ideas for logo

Spec: open source fonts, outline of the mount,

Buninyong Community Co-op