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Understanding Seasonal Produce

A quick note on how seasons work — because it's something that makes us different.

Take oranges as an example. At the start of the season, the price is higher and the quality isn't quite at its peak — still super fresh, but not in its prime. When they hit full season, they're beautiful — there's plenty around, so prices are mostly lower and the quality is at its best. At the end of the season, the price goes up again and the quality drops off.

The supermarkets get around this by bringing in produce from overseas. We stick to Australian, so we ride out the changes in seasonal varieties and quality. The produce is still healthy and good for you, but the flavour and look may not be as good as when it's in its prime.

Right now is the toughest season — availability is at its lowest and the variety isn't as good. But this is what makes us different. We keep it real, keep it fresh, and keep it Australian.

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Growing the Team — Meet Josh & Toby

We now have two official employed packers after trialling a few — Josh and Toby, two great and talented young guys. Josh also cooks in the New Peninsula Kitchen with his Grandma for the homeless down at Mornington Peninsula Community Support Centre. They're a great fit for who we are.

I sat down with them and went through what Jointly can be — our goals, our strategy. We're not just a box. We're building a new food system — one that stands for:

🚜 Farmer-direct, fresh within 48 hours
♻️ Zero waste — reused boxes, mystery boxes, Nourish
🌿 Less plastic, more local
🏡 Community Hubs, not home delivery
💚 5% giving to families doing it tough
🥩 Whole-animal meat, paddock to plate

We talked about balancing three things every time we pack:

1️⃣ Efficiency — we need to pack a certain number of boxes per hour to keep this viable
2️⃣ Quality — we need to assess each piece of fruit and veg to make sure it's good enough
3️⃣ Quantity — we know you put time into your shopping list and not getting what you ordered is a pain

Ultimately, what we came up with was this: we want to pack every box as if it's for ourselves, or for our mum.

Being new, we've had a few slip through and we do apologise if this has affected you. If anything looks wrong or isn't up to quality — WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. We take it personally.

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A Note on Last Week

It was a week! First, our own AI coding tool decided to delete our perfectly good database and replace it with its own testing data. It was set to test a change we had coming — and took matters into its own hands. We had to wind the clock back one week and step by step add every transaction and change until it was back up to speed. Thanks to Mark, he had it back up and running by 9am. You may have received our email apologising for the interruption — thank you for your patience.

Then there was a global shutdown of an AWS (Amazon) server that directly affected us. Trello — the software we use to pack your boxes — went down a few times through the morning. At one stage we couldn't pack for half an hour.

We don't think it affected our lists, but it may have. If you were short on anything, please let us know. It also put us behind on deliveries — our hope is to get off nice and early this week. We're trialling an earlier run around the Peninsula — you'll get an SMS once your Hub is ready.

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Beef Still Available

We still have some meat available — the cryovac beef is still fresh so jump on and grab some. The list has been updated on the site.

Sausages have a 5-day fridge life so we've put them in the freezer — but we won't freeze the prices! You can get them now for $11.95 for 500g. They've got just the right mix, not too fatty, and they taste great — especially being local grass-fed and finished beef. Order at jointly.shop

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Fruit Update

🍌 Bananas — up slightly. Our supplier is hoping for Coffs Harbour Cavendish this week, aiming for fortnightly. They'll most likely be the bigger variety — delicious. You had them 2 weeks ago.

🍊 Navels — starting the season. If the skin is marked, it's no reflection on the orange itself.

🍊 Mandarins — available in 2 sizes again, trying for seedless this week. Still coming from Qld.

🍇 Green Grapes — coming to the end of the season. Prices up slightly but quality is still good. Reds continue on a bit longer.

🍅 Gourmet/Field Tomatoes — great value at 65c each

🥑 Local Avocados have finished! — Back to our amazing suppliers at the market. $2.50ea or $7 for 3.

🍑 Plums — have finished for the season

🫐 Berries — I've been struggling to get them fresh. We literally make nothing on them, but this week I'm heading in even earlier to hand-pick them from other suppliers. If yours were hit and miss — we'll refund them.

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Veg Update

🥬 Brussels Sprouts are back! — $2.85 for 250g bag

🥦 Broccoli — down this week to $1.80ea

🫑 Green Capsicums — great value at $1.80ea

🌶️ Red Capsicums — up again to $3.34ea

🥬 Cauliflower — up and down at the moment, $5.95ea

🥒 Continental Cucumbers — only $1.80ea

🥒 Lebanese Cucumbers — up to $1.65ea, they've been such good value

🌽 Corn — still $1.50, Qld corn

🥔 Hawkes Sebago Brushed — $3.70/kg

🥔 Hawkes Sebago Washed — $3.70/kg

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Langwarrin Hub — Interested?

We're getting a number of customers interested in Langwarrin. Do you know someone who might be interested in starting a Hub? Or a good venue we could approach? Let us know via WhatsApp or email hello@jointly.shop

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Jointly Nourish Update

Nourish giving was $710 this week. Thank you to everyone who has contributed directly — it makes a real difference.

Here's where it went:

If you know of anyone in your Hub community who could use a hand, please let us know. We're always happy to have part of our 5% giving allocation directed locally through you.

Every box you order contributes to this. Thank you for being part of a community that gives back 💛

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Refer a Friend, Everyone Eats Well

Know someone who'd love fresh, local produce delivered to their Hub? Here's how it works:

🌿 Your friend gets — A free loaf of Bakery Lievito artisan bread & a dozen Somerville Egg Farm free range eggs in their first box
🌿 You get — A free loaf of Bakery Lievito artisan bread & a dozen Somerville Egg Farm free range eggs in your next box
🌿 A family in need gets — A $15 Nourish gift of fresh produce

Three wins from one referral — your friend eats fresh, you get rewarded, and a local family is supported. That's what community looks like. 💚

We've set aside 20 referral packs to kick this off — once they're gone, they're gone. So if you've been meaning to tell a friend about Jointly, now's a great time.

Just share your Hub link or tell your friend to mention your name when they sign up at jointly.shop