The regional producers bringing South Australia’s best to Adelaide
Live cooking demonstrations, seafood tastings and producer conversations are at the heart of this year’s Buy SA Week, connecting city consumers with the regions that feed South Australia.
For many South Australians, buying local starts with a familiar label on a supermarket shelf or a favourite producer at the farmers’ market. During Buy SA Week, however, it’s also an opportunity to meet the people behind those products and discover how every purchase helps sustain businesses, jobs and communities across the state.
This year’s campaign places regional South Australia firmly in the spotlight, bringing producers into the heart of Adelaide through tastings, demonstrations and conversations designed to reconnect city consumers with the people who grow, catch and make many of the state’s best-loved products.
Among the highlights is the Seafood Showcase in Rundle Mall, where visitors can sample premium South Australian seafood, watch live cooking demonstrations from Sprout Cooking School’s Themis Chryssidis and Callum Hann, and hear directly from the fishers and producers whose livelihoods depend on healthy oceans and strong local support.
For Seafood Industry South Australia CEO Connie Bonaros, the showcase is about much more than celebrating exceptional produce.
“South Australia’s seafood industry is the lifeblood of many of our coastal and regional communities,” she says. “By its nature, it is an extraordinarily resilient industry that has faced challenge after challenge in recent times, yet it continues to persevere. Algal bloom is no exception.”
Bonaros says the industry’s response to recent challenges has highlighted something equally important: the willingness of South Australians to support one another.
You might like
“In tough times, South Australians set the standard when it comes to rallying around those who need it the most,” she says. “That’s exactly what we’ve seen in recent months, with communities across the state getting behind our seafood industry, supporting our local fishers, visiting coastal communities and choosing South Australian seafood.
“Our seafood industry contributes more than $1.3 billion to the state’s gross domestic product each year, supports thousands of jobs, and underpins the social and economic fabric of communities right across South Australia. That’s why it’s so important we continue to back our local seafood industry – during Buy SA Week and every week of the year.”
The Seafood Showcase offers metropolitan visitors the chance to better understand the journey from ocean to plate – and the expertise behind every catch.
“Seafood really is an Australian way of life – yet we rarely stop to tell the story behind it,” Bonaros says.
“From ocean to plate, every oyster, mussel, lobster, tuna fillet and even the humble sardine represents countless hours of hard work, dedication and skill. Above all, each one reflects the love our producers have for the ocean.”
Those conversations have become even more relevant as consumers pay closer attention to where their food comes from. Bonaros notes that, despite South Australia’s world-class reputation for seafood, many people are surprised to learn that more than 65 per cent of the seafood consumed locally is imported.
“Every purchase is a choice,” she says. “Choosing local means supporting local fishers, aquaculture producers, processors and regional communities. It means backing sustainable industries while delivering some of the world’s finest seafood.”
“When we choose local, we’re not just buying seafood – we’re investing in our people, our environment and the future of our coastal regional communities.”
The showcase will feature everything from Coffin Bay oysters and Port Lincoln tuna to Spencer Gulf prawns, West Coast sardines and iconic Southern Rock Lobster, giving visitors the opportunity to discover species they may not have tried before.
That’s something Chryssidis and Hann are particularly looking forward to.
“South Australia is home to an enormous array of beautiful seafood,” they say. “However, most South Australians tend to stick to the most familiar and common forms of seafood, so our aim is to broaden people’s knowledge around some slightly less common seafood items – think Port Lincoln sardines and Port Lincoln mussels.
“And, of course, we will feature some of our most iconic and globally respected seafood items such as line caught tuna and southern rock lobster.”
For the Sprout Cooking School founders, South Australia’s reputation begins with the people and places behind every catch. Ask them what makes our local seafood so special, and why they love cooking with it, and the answer is overwhelmingly enthusiastic.
“That’s easy! Our incredible clean waterways. Our passionate and respectful fishers. Our incredible chefs. Together we all help SA seafood shine on the plate and reserve its position as some of the world’s best seafood.”
During the seafood showcase’s live demonstrations, they’ll combine seafood with produce from regional growers and makers, showcasing just how well South Australia’s industries work together.
“Guests can expect an entertaining and educational experience,” they say. “We love South Australian food, we love the many suppliers we work with and support, and most importantly we love cooking (and eating!).
“People can expect to enjoy some tasty food, inspired by local produce, while learning a few practical tips they can use at home.”
Ultimately, that’s what Buy SA Week is designed to achieve. Beyond the tastings and demonstrations, it’s about helping consumers understand the stories behind the products they buy and the ripple effect those purchasing decisions create.
Whether it’s choosing locally caught seafood, discovering a new regional producer or simply asking where food comes from, every decision helps strengthen South Australia’s economy, supports regional jobs and ensures the state’s producers can continue sharing some of the world’s finest food with generations to come.
Buy SA Week runs from August 1-9. Explore the full event program here.
Want to see more stories from InDaily SA in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily SA as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily SA". That's it.
