Deb McElroy is a bush businesswoman from Tarcutta, near Wagga Wagga in NSW whose business has almost trebled since she joined the Buy from the Bush campaign as a supplier in October 2019.
Deb makes Bumble Bee Wraps, beeswax infused material squares that are perfect for wrapping around a tomato, avocado or those other scraps that we store in the fridge or for use in children’s lunchboxes, replacing clingwrap, which ends up as landfill. Deb makes every wrap by hand and the choices of beautiful fabrics, mainly sourced from Wagga, show her innate style and are perfect for encouraging online sales.
Deb started her business in 2018 and was mainly selling at weekend market places as well as selling wholesale to businesses throughout NSW. She joined Buy from the Bush when it launched late last year and has never looked back.
Buy from the Bush was launched by Grace Brennan from Warren who started it as an Instagram account showcasing the beautiful things available to buy from rural communities facing drought. Grace called on city friends to look to the bush for their Christmas shopping and by so doing, invest in supporting rural communities. Seven weeks later it had over 130,000 followers and had increased rural postage figures by 40%. Buy From the Bush aims to connect bush businesses with city customers. It celebrates the creativity, productivity, innovation and resilience of rural communities. It is proof that outcome-focused, community-driven change can have a real impact.
For Deb that impact included increasing her public profile and led to the development of a new website which immediately increased her sales. Her Christmas orders alone totalled 1,700 wraps, distributed globally, with buyers discovering her Tarcutta-made wraps through Buy from the Bush.
Deb’s usual distribution through weekend market sales has dried up because of the Coronavirus. But the hardy types from one market, the River and Wren markets in Wagga, have decided that the market will go on as a virtual market, with each stockist having a presence online through the River and Wren Market on 25 and 26 April as well as on their own site and the Buy from the Bush campaign. Deb also is busy working on a Mother’s Day campaign, turning her home-based business into a full-time job.
