More than 5000 people expected for Korumburra Garlic Festival!

The Garlic Festival is expected to bring more than 5000 people to Korumburra when it is held on Saturday, March 8.

For those not in the know, the garlic festival brings all of our regions producers together, some of the best chefs, musicians (bands all day), and activations throughout the town, a huge boost for business and the community.

As Ron Burgundy famously reminded everyone in The Anchorman … it’s kind of a really big deal. For more information, we head to the Burra Pantry and Larder In Commercial St where we find festival organiser Joel White.

Interviewer: So, Joel, you've been running the Burra Pantry and Larder for seven months now. You have the Garlic Festival coming up, which we'll talk about in a moment. But first, I'd love to hear how you got into this business. There are so many amazing products in your store.

Joel White: Well, it was really my wife’s passion and inspiration. We've both been in the food industry for about 25 years, working for multinational organisations and dealing primarily with Coles and Woolworths-style products. We were both senior marketers in that industry. When we moved out here, we wanted to find a way to help local producers either scale their businesses or have an outlet for their incredible products.

Joel White, at his shop the Burra Pantry and Larder, is also on the board of the Garlic Industry Association.

One of the classic examples was driving past beautiful paddocks full of livestock and realising you couldn’t buy that meat anywhere. So, we thought about different ways to bring Gippsland produce to consumers—wholesaling, marketing services—but then my wife simply said, "I'm going to open a shop." And that was the best way to directly support these producers.

Right now, we focus on Gippsland products. If we can’t source something locally, we look at regional Victoria, and if that’s not possible, we turn to artisan producers elsewhere. One of our main principles is that nothing in our store is available in Coles, Woolworths, or IGA. We also work with small packaged goods producers to help them scale their businesses, as many of them lack the logistics and packaging needed for larger retail chains.

Interviewer: I've noticed that your meats, including the rump cuts and Thor’s Hammers, are well-priced compared to big-brand supermarkets. How do you manage that?

If you are ever lucky enough to eat at Joel and Steph’s house, this would be his go-to steak, available in his store in Commercial St.

Joel: With most of our suppliers, particularly for meat, we aim to match their online pricing. We don’t want customers to come in, look up a price online, and find it's cheaper elsewhere. Our rule is that we sell at the same price as our suppliers do directly.

For meats, we source directly from places like Macca's Farm and Cheffields, where you’d pay the same price if you went there yourself. Additionally, we have direct-from-abattoir products—bigger cuts like picanha rump caps, mega rib-eyes, Thor’s Hammers, and whole scotch fillets. These cuts add a bit of theatre for home cooks and are priced competitively due to our direct relationships with abattoirs.

For us, it’s not about high margins; it’s about having good pricing and steady stock turnover. We want to ensure local products reach consumers, rather than just sitting on our shelves.

Interviewer: What are some of your best-selling products?

Joel: Meat is a big part of our business, but local cheeses and cheese-plate accompaniments are also very popular. Pastas sell well, too. It’s hard to pinpoint one standout product because we have a broad range, . I think people recognise the difference in quality between small-batch and mass-produced goods.

We know from experience what goes into factory-produced foods versus what’s in the small-batch items we carry. That’s why you won’t find preservatives or unrecognisable ingredients in our products.

We also have a strong gluten-free range. Since opening, we discovered a sizeable celiac community in the region, so we’ve made sure to offer plenty of high-quality gluten-free options. Most of these aren’t formulated to be gluten-free; they just don’t contain fillers, emulsifiers, or thickeners commonly found in mass-produced goods.

The quality of cookware available is next level.

Interviewer: You also carry cookware. What’s the reasoning behind that?

Joel: A big part of our focus is on baking and preserving, which my wife, Steph, is passionate about. Many people in the area have fruit trees and grow their own produce, so preserving is a natural extension of that. We stock high-quality cooking tools like meat thermometers, knife sharpeners, and preserving equipment—things that help people make the most of their ingredients.

We also carry locally made breadboards crafted from recycled timber, which make beautiful gifts. Again, it all ties back to supporting local artisans and providing quality products.

Interviewer: Let’s say I’m coming over for dinner. You’re cooking with garlic and something from your store. What’s on the menu?

Joel: I’d probably go with a picanha steak, which I’ve been keen to try. It’s a popular cut in Argentinian restaurants, and I’d pair it with a garlic aioli over salad or a simple garlic rub on the meat. You can also toss some garlic in the pan to enhance the flavor. We only carry Gippsland grass-fed beef—none of it is grain-fed—so it has that distinctive yellow fat, which comes from beta-carotene in the grass. Many people are trained to think white fat is better, but that’s just because of supermarket marketing.

All products are sourced from Gippsland!

Interviewer: Let’s talk about the Garlic Festival. How did it come to be?

Joel: The Garlic Festival started in 2017 in Meeniyan and ran until COVID in 2020. After a two-year break, it came back in 2023 but didn’t run last year due to volunteer shortages and logistical issues. Meeniyan is a small town, and the festival was very resource-intensive, requiring a lot of volunteers.

I’m on the board of the Garlic Industry Association, and I knew how much garlic producers valued the event—it’s a crucial sales day for small farmers. Without it, they lose a key opportunity to market their products and reinvest in their businesses. We couldn’t let that disappear.

So, we formed a new committee, reassessed the festival’s structure, and pitched it to different towns in South Gippsland. Korumburra won, and we redesigned the event to require fewer volunteers while staying true to its purpose: celebrating garlic and its growers.

More than 5000 people are expected to visit Korumburra next weekend for this fantastic event.

Interviewer: What can visitors expect at this year’s festival?

Joel: It’s a one-day event from 9am to 6pm. We’ll have about a dozen garlic producers, plus two more major ones finalising their participation. There’s also the Garlic University, where experts like Penny Woodward and John Olliff will give talks on home-growing and commercial production.

The Garlic Kitchen will feature five chefs, including Alejandro Saravia from Farmer’s Daughters in Melbourne, the team from Messmate in Warragul, Atsu from Tsuko Japanese in Korumburra, and a top trainee chef from William Angliss Institute. They’ll demonstrate different ways to cook with garlic.

Of course, there’ll be market stalls with garlic-inspired dishes, live music from  six local bands, and a festival bar featuring six local wineries, distilleries, breweries, and even a meadery. It’s all about creating a great festival atmosphere while keeping the focus on garlic.

Interviewer: Will there be plenty of garlic to sample?

Joel: Absolutely! And you’ll get to talk directly with the farmers. They can explain the differences between varieties, like the porcelain garlic, which is super hot and intense. Most supermarket garlic is a generic white variety from China, but local growers cultivate specialty types with unique flavour profiles.

There’s a huge opportunity in the garlic industry—Australia imports 80 per cent of its garlic, with most coming from China. Encouraging small-scale growers to enter the market is important for increasing local production.

The festival is a great way to showcase this and inspire people to grow their own garlic at home. If you find a variety you love, you can plant some and have fresh garlic year-round.

Thanks for much for your time!