‘A tonne of Turkish Delight sold in two weeks’: How Central Market launches SA producers
A unique incubator program is launching new businesses from Turkish delight to Barossa ice cream sellers at the Adelaide Central Market. We speak to two producers using their market residency as a springboard.
When Mona Hassan first took a punt on bringing traditional Turkish delight to Adelaide, she couldn’t believe how ravenous South Australians were for the sweet treats.
In her first two weeks as a Producer in Residence at the Adelaide Central Market, Hassan, who opened The Turkish Delight store with her son Mohammed, claims she sold one tonne of product.
She thought the success might have been a Christmas bounty, but trade “never stopped”. Since then, she’s gone on to open a permanent stall at the market and another storefront on Rundle Street in the East End.
Hassan’s story is one of close to 100 that have come out of the Adelaide Central Market’s Producer in Residence Program.
Established ten years ago, the program hosts around 17 businesses per year, with stall holders rotating every three weeks at a vacant space in the corner of the market.
Small to medium producers of artisan food or beverages set up in the dedicated space to trial their products and business concepts in a live market environment.
While a permanent tenancy is not promised for participants, some do graduate to the big league, like Hassan.
Her product is sourced from Melbourne but has found a home in Adelaide where there was little like what she was spruiking.
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The product is gelatine-free, gluten-free and suitable for vegans, which Hassan believes is part of her success, along with its delicious taste.
“The Central Market is good, because it’s been here a long time,” Hassan said.
“It’s an icon.”
And the attraction is expected to grow with a $500 million expansion and redevelopment of the neighbouring Central Market Arcade well underway. It would see some 50 tenancies across fresh food and produce, restaurants, bars and a hotel connecting to the existing Adelaide Central Market.
A scoop of success
In the Producer in Residence stall when InDaily visits is Julie Donnellan, the founder of Barossa Valley Ice Cream.
She is a repeat resident, having taken part in the program for the past three years during summer, “which is perfect timing”, Donnellan said.
“I’ve always loved this market,” she said.
“I really feel the connection with the other vendors here.”
Donnellan started the business 13 years ago, approaching it with a background in wine, food and tourism.
Originally from Melbourne, Donnellan visited South Australia in 1997 to do some wine tasting and six weeks later she moved to Stirling.
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“I liked it that much,” she said.
She eventually undertook a wine marketing degree and started working at wineries in South Australia. One day, she visited the Barossa Farmers Market with Victorian friends who convinced her to take advantage of the top-quality produce to make ice cream.
“Anyone can make ice cream, but we just wanted to do it really, really well,” Donnellan said.
“We’ve got some really good 200-year-old recipes and made them commercially viable. Seventy per cent of our ingredients are South Australian. Where we can’t get local, we try and get organic, fair trade, sustainable. Let’s not destroy the planet.”
She sells the ice cream in South Australia from two ice cream vans and in small freezers at specialty stores.
But she keeps returning to the Central Market to run a boutique ice cream stand.
“It’s hard to be unhappy doing this,” she said.
“If you’re not happy doing ice cream, you’re not doing it properly.”
Donnellan said the program put her brand in front of new people, and she loved seeing their reactions to new flavours.
“It’s a great way to come up with new recipes,” she said, while scooping a delicious blob of vanilla bean ice cream into a cup for an international traveller visiting the Central Markets.
“I get instant feedback.”
Adelaide Central Markets general manager Fabienne Reilly said both traders and producers benefit from the Producer in Residence stall.
“There are often unique collaborations with the Producer in Residence neighbours like SiSea and O’Connell’s Meats who often form great connections and create specials to highlight the producer such as a special pasta dish at SiSea or flavoured ribs at O’Connell’s,” she said.
“For our producers, it not only helps them connect with customers but connect with potential stockists, including existing traders.
“We’re proud of our program and how it has supported the growth and development of local food entrepreneurs. Our customers regularly seek out the stall to discover new products and food experiences.”
