In a bid to prove manufacturing isn’t dead, Marrickville Council has established a program to support local food producers.
Five years ago, Marrickville Council – assisted by a small amount of funding from the state government’s industry cluster program – set up the Marrickville Manufacturer’s Association and registered the name ‘Made in Marrickville’.
The concept was to promote Marrickville’s manufacturers, especially those in the food cluster, as suppliers of premium products.
The aim was to ensure the phrase “Made in Marrickville” became synonymous with high quality, value-for-money products.
Now, names like Bourke Street Bakery, Serendipity Ice Cream, Epicurean Kitchen, Casa Del, The Pasta Factory, Feather & Bone, Alpino Gelato are champions of the Made in Marrickville brand.
Council’s Economic Development Unit matched businesses to government assistance such as Enterprise Connect and Trade & Industry, which enabled the association members to improve and grow their businesses, taking the brand nationwide and overseas.
With support from the program, Alpino Gelato – Australia’s first commercial producer of locally made gelato and a family-owned company for 58 years – placed their first order to supply gelato to China.
The Marrickville Manufacturers Association has been promoted using tasting pavilions at local festivals, pop-up shops in shopping centres, at International Women’s Day and even in the most recent Local Government Management Challenge where team Marrickville was
runner up.
Many of the local producers also figure prominently in tourism based food tours.
The brand will soon feature on promotional T-shirts for children, provided the parents advise that their child was “Made in Marrickville”; local pooches will also be able to sport “Made in
Marrickville” coats.
Manufacturing in Marrickville is the biggest contributor to the local gross domestic product and the largest employer in the local government area.
Council, residents and business operators proudly agree that “Made in Marrickville” now plays a vibrant role in projecting Marrickville’s identity.
