OK. I’ll admit it. I’m a fan of ‘clean and neat’. A clean freak, even!
Somewhere in my handbag, there’s a little plastic bottle of hand disinfectant, alongside the tiny torch. Girl scout!
And if you say to me just as I’m finishing a meal, ‘But did you see the kitchen?’ with one of those looks, then have a paper bag ready (a lined paper bag)!
And while I’m on it, I don’t see why vegetarian or health-conscious should be associated with bodily hair, a lack of personal hygiene, dirt, or even oily handprints.
‘Cleanliness is next to godliness’. The Dickensian saying is deeply ingrained somewhere inside me.
And I’m a librarian. Apart from the naturally occurring chaos principle, I’m happy with a natural order of the world: ‘A place for everything, and everything in its place’.
Finally, I’ve found The Source.
Newly opened in Miami One, The Source fulfils all my heartfelt longings about shopping for healthy food ingredients: give me informed service, make shopping easy with products clearly marked, give me the best products you can find (rather than every possible choice to make), make the food organic/sustainable/local, the containers minimal and recyclable wherever possible. And lastly, don’t rip me off!
The original Source shop in Mullumbimby established the principle of ‘Good old-fashioned grocery shopping the modern way’ and we’ve got to agree: goods are neatly packaged in food bins in the most orderly, cleanest bulk food shop we’ve seen. Joy!
Shopping is easy! Choose your product. Grab a paper bag or tapioca container (or BYO bag or container). Write the number for your product on the bag with a pen (provided). Fill your bag with the amount of product as you need. Take your items to the counter to weigh and pay. Simple!
Sharon or one of her friendly assistants will happily give advice or information along the way. No, they don’t walk the goods out to your car, but there’s plenty of free parking under the centre. Geographically challenged? You can shop online and have your products delivered!
With the added touch of DIY, you can say you ground those Rainforest Alliance coffee beans to perfection, made your own cashew nut butter, or milled your own flour, all without having to take out a mortgage for that cumbersome ‘need to be cleaned’ machinery – all free to use in the store! There are even recipes on the website to help you with the next DIY – cooking!
A circuit around The Source is a journey of discovery. Besides flours, rice, nuts, spices, superfoods, seeds, dried fruit (and other dry goods), you’ll find unexpected delights: Paleo trail mix fragrant with strawberries and figs, Vege chips abundant with natural colour, Coconut toffee (Oh my, it’s addictive!) and Energy balls (just the thing for that 3pm slump)! Over half of it is organic, locally sourced where possible, GF/DF/Paleo catered for, and you can buy as little (or as much) as you need.
And talking about cleaning, there are natural chemical-free cleaners and personal hygiene products too, all at really affordable prices. (I’m going to try the Lemon Myrtle laundry powder in my front loader!)
Clean outside, clean inside – for us, and the environment. Now that’s a ‘Win: Win’!
……
Shop 23 Miami One Shopping Centre, 1930 Gold Coast Highway, Miami, Queensland 4220 Ph: 07 5576 8723
Also open in The Brickworks, Ferry Rd., Southport Ph: 07 5531 0333