Community & Business
28 November, 2023
Yungaburra store named best in Australia
YUNGABURRA Foodworks might be small, but it’s certainly mighty.
The store has just been awarded the National Local Store of the Year at the Australian United Retailers Awards.
It’s the third time the store has been recognised with this award and owners Kate and Phil Mete put the success down to their hardworking staff.
The couple have owned the store for more than 15 years
“To get it (the award) again was nice to see the hard work pay off,” Kate said.
“We source locally where we can. We make it a high priority to stock quality produce, local products and have a clean and tidy store.”
Kate said store manager Tim Roberts was exceptional at his job and used his expertise to guide the staff in the right direction.
Tim has been with the business for about two and a half years and Kate said his direction has fine-tuned the store to get it where it is today.
The independently-owned store is made up of 26 casual and permanent staff, Yungaburra Foodworks is a supermarket filled with familiar faces.
Kate said it wasn’t unusual to see staff members helping customers with their groceries to their car; it was all part of the service they were proud to offer the community.
Whilst the store is small, it’s well supported and stocked full of local products including artisan cheeses, meats, bread and produce.
“We are regularly quoted on having a really good cheese range.”
Kate said it was great to be part of the FoodWorks network.
Open seven days a week, 7am-8pm, it’s a hotspot for weekend visitors who travel to enjoy Lake Tinaroo but they also service the immediate township and all over the Tablelands.
“We are proud of our store and staff; they keep it like their own. We make a point of having something different for our customers.”
Australian United Retailers support independently owned supermarkets, convenience and liquor retailers. They trade under known retail brands such as FoodWorks, Farmer Jack’s, Green Grocer, Foodstore and more.
