From Grassroots

The remarkable origin story of Woolworths with Stephen Ward from the Woolworths Heritage Center, who reveals how five ambitious men with just £100 each built what would become Australia's largest retailer. Learn about the "very cheeky" business move that gave Woolworths its iconic name. From a single basement store in Sydney's Imperial Arcade in 1924 to employing 200,000 people today, this is the fascinating tale of entrepreneurial spirit and community service that shaped a century of Australian retail history.

Meet Troy Gordon from the Clontarf Foundation, whose simple mission of "get the boys to school, get 'em to year 12, and get 'em a job" has achieved an extraordinary results for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men. Discover how what started as an accidental program has grown to support nearly 12,000 boys across every state and territory. And learn how Woolworths' partnership provides not just funding but employment opportunities, creating pathways that transform young lives and strengthen entire communities across Australia. 

Meet Bindi Lupus, the Salvation Army's National Response Manager, who explains how their disaster relief teams provide not just food and shelter, but crucial emotional support to people experiencing "their worst day". Discover the remarkable 94-year partnership between Woolworths and The Salvation Army that began with a simple £10 donation in 1930. And learn how the Salvation Army's teams work alongside Woolworths to ensure that when disaster strikes, help arrives quickly.

Meet Ronni Kahn, the visionary founder of OzHarvest, who turned her frustration with food waste at corporate events into Australia's leading food rescue organisation. Discover how what started as "rogue food deliveries" in a single yellow van has grown into a partnership where Woolworths provides 70% of OzHarvest's rescued food, approaching the incredible milestone of 100 million meals delivered. Learn how this 10-year partnership has transformed surplus food from Woolworths stores into hope and dignity for millions of Australians facing hunger.

Meet John Warlters, CEO of Rural Aid, on supporting farming families struggling through droughts, floods, and other natural disasters that threaten Australia's agricultural backbone. Discover how Rural Aid's mission goes beyond delivering hay and emergency water to include mental health counselling, recognising that farmers need support to make the big decisions that keep food on Australian tables. And learn how Woolworths' partnership with Rural Aid helps sustain the farming communities that produce the fresh food we all rely on, providing both practical assistance and hope during the toughest times in rural Australia.

Jason Riley was just 12 years old when he decided he wanted to be a dairy farmer, and now at 22, that’s exactly what he’s doing, working alongside his parents, partner and mentors. In this episode, Jason shares how his mum, a breast cancer survivor, is his main motivation (and puts in almost as many hours with the cows as Jason himself), the importance of mentors, and how not all advice is helpful. 

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Despite being a third-generation pineapple farmer, Jake Brooks had never seen a pineapple burn – that was until the November 2019 bushfires. Within 24 hours of receiving the call, the family business lost more than 1200 hectares as well as tractors, forklifts and about 200,000 pineapple plants. In this episode, Jake talks about how they’re bouncing back, sharing the workload with his twin brother, and whether or not pineapple does in fact belong on a pizza. 

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When Mark Kable was in his 20s, he threw his bag and his swag in the back of his ute and relocated from Dubbo (via Sydney) to Tasmania. He was looking for new opportunities to continue the family business and now he supplies over 90,000 tonnes of different vegetables, employs up to 300 people, and has expanded operations into Queensland and Victoria. In this episode, Mark discusses how the business survived some of Tasmania’s most devastating floods, how to get your kids to eat their veggies and how he reinvented the humble carrot.

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Often people think a tree change is a shift to a quieter life, but not for Lynda Harding and her husband Noel, who took on a 1,500-tree stone fruit orchard in Western Australia with no prior experience. Lynda swapped her corporate life in Queensland to become an organic fruit and veg farmer. In this episode, she discusses how she sobbed until midnight during her first season of harvesting, fed her newborn under the trees while picking, and why today more than ever, in a time where COVID-19 has changed so many lives, she appreciates the life she’s made. 

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Jimmy Kalafatis, a second-generation fruit farmer, comes from a family of hard workers. His late father Angelo emigrated from Greece to Australia at the age of 19 looking for new opportunities and managed to build Kalafatis Farms from the ground up. Today, the family business has more than half a million fruit trees. In this episode, Jimmy talks about the importance of family, the work ethic he inherited from his father, and why you should always think twice before saying yes.

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