In 2021, friends Sean Menzie and Scott Schoenfeldt took a leap and launched their own company.
Combining their passion for agriculture and supporting Canadian producers, the pair co-founded G’day.
G’day is a platform that connects Canadians with local farmers and producers for direct purchasing opportunities.
“It allows consumers to buy their groceries straight from the folks that produce them,” said Menzie. “As our saying goes, from produce to protein, wine to cheese, you’ll find it on G’day.”
Menzie and Schoenfeldt believe that reconnecting Canadians with their food is more important than ever, and behind each farmer, there’s a passion for the land and products they cultivate.
Wanting to show Canadians that passion, and the quality and integrity that go into local producers’ products, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, G’day was formed in 2021.
“The concept for G’day first came to light when we saw the supply chain interruptions that the early stages of the pandemic brought forward in the grocery sector,” Menzie said.
“We noticed that there was a bottleneck with traditional grocery stores, which we believed could be alleviated by an alternative way of buying food — straight from the source. Being a part of your food’s supply chain doesn’t just reduce your carbon footprint, but it also helps you gain a better understanding of the food chain pure eating and, in some cases, save a few bucks," Menzie explained.
“We kind of had this ‘aha’ moment when we realized that there was a food supply chain, that due to how segmented and diversified it is, seemed to be not affected by the changes that were happening,” added Schoenfeldt. “Then the thought was, how do we create a platform that allows people to easily find and connect with local grocery options around them so that they could participate in this economy? That’s where G’day was born.”
The primary goal at G’day is to reconnect people with their food by showing them how easily they can buy straight from local producers.
“For some reason, buying locally produced groceries feels difficult, and we want to change that,” Menzie said. “Is it a little more time consuming to buy local groceries? Sure. But from where we’re sitting, the benefits of locally produced greatly outweigh any inconveniences consumers might see.”
Schoenfeldt described G’day as a “win-win for all involved.
“The producers/farmers get to maximize the value for their products while the consumers get a fresh, tasty, wholesome product. Consumers also get to experience things and get the opportunity to learn how their food is produced.”
The importance of connecting consumers with producers might not seem obvious at first glance, but knowing where food comes from and the difference in buying from a local producer compared to the grocery store is becoming increasingly valued, especially when factoring in the need to support local.
“We think it’s extremely important that people know where their food comes from,” says Schoenfeldt. “By buying groceries directly from the producer, consumers can develop a better understanding for their food, and a deeper appreciation for the people that produce it. I read a quote once that said, ‘Without farmers, nothing is possible.’ I think that quote, in a nutshell, is why it is important to support Canadian farmers. Over the past two years, local food sales increased dramatically. We want to turn that momentum into a movement.”
“As we like to say, farmers are a real-life FAQ page,” Menzie added. “By connecting directly with a producer, consumers can ask any questions they have about the products and change their relationship with food. The person that produced your food can tell you exactly what’s in your food and the rationale behind it.”
Currently, G’day has four producers within a 40-minute drive of Bradford: Alexiou Farms in Beeton (18 minutes), Circling Hawk Farm and Ridge Meadery (26 minutes), Murphy’s Farm in Alliston (32 minutes) and Hackner Farms in Zephyr (38 minutes).
“Now, I know you may be thinking, ‘Why would I drive 40 minutes to get one grocery item?’ Getting local groceries doesn’t necessarily mean travelling to the farm — although that can be one of the benefits,” said Schoenfeldt. “Some producers will ship their products. Maybe some have relatives near you and will deliver. Maybe your kid has a ballet lesson in one of these towns and you can arrange a pickup. G’day makes buying local groceries easy and, in a lot of cases, flexible.”
Menzie and Schoenfeldt don’t just see G’day as a way for producers to sell products, but a new way of promoting agriculture, educating Canadians, connecting with the community, and finding new customers through avenues like social media.
“We want to be something fresh, something new,” says Schoenfeldt. “If you check out our Instagram stories (@ShopGday), we do some fun, interactive things with our producers — the more popular being ‘Farm Dog Thursdays,’ where every Thursday we post a picture of our producer’s pets to our story. Farms can also have an opportunity to be a part of our ‘Take 5’ blog posts, where we interview local producers to get a better understanding of their day-to-day, to dive deep and get life from their perspective.”
By partnering with G’day, producers are able to increases visibility for their brand, and it helps them connect with people that are in the market for buying locally produced groceries.
“Other marketing mediums help get your message out there, but the real question is, is that message getting out to the right crowd?” said Menzie.
“The way we see it is the more farms that are on G’day, the stronger those farms can be,” Schoenfeldt adds. “G’day allows for all of the local maple syrup producers, lavender growers, beef farmers, craft beer brewers, beekeepers, etc., to all be in one location for consumers to search and connect with. We see the value in a strength-in-numbers approach. Profits from G’day will be used to market the platform, and drive users to the site. The more producers that participate, the larger and stronger that message becomes.”
Learn more about G’day and connect with local producers here.
