How to Buy Local Online and Support Sydney Businesses
While we usually offer tourism advice, we are staunch supporters of shopping local and at no time is that more important than right now. With many of the businesses we love facing challenging times we decided to put together this page so we can share them with you in the hope might consider them when you need to shop.
A Comprehensive List of the Websites, Apps, and Hashtags to Help You Support Local Business
Today we have put together this list of ideas gathered from family, friends and local producers to give you a range of options to consider next time you make a purchase. While we are all watching the budget and perhaps purchasing less, we must make those purchases count and help out our community rather than multinational companies that are better placed to survive this difficult time.
If you are a business with something that you would like us to spread the word about please get in touch.
Please note that the details below are correct at the time of publication. Please double-check with any of the businesses before making plans.
How you can help support your favourites even if you are spending less?
Lots of us have seen our income reduced but there are still ways you can make a difference. We asked our FB community for their ideas to add to our own (Thanks team x)
- Start by checking out your favourite businesses on social. Most are advertising what they can offer. Follow them and interact to help them reach a new audience.
- Share the love, post a review to help reach new customers trying to decide which places to choose.
- Check out the range they are offering; your local bar might now be selling fresh eggs, your local hole in the wall cafe doing full-size cakes and slices, even avocados!
- Check out the hashtags – there are a bunch including
#savethebeer #WhoIsDelivering #RallyTogetherForRestaurants #EatAloneTogether #buylocal #Shoplocal #keepinglocalalive #buyfromthebush #Spendwiththem #backyourbookshop #keepyourcafe #shopsmall #lovelocal #supportlocal
Bulk Restaurant Quality Food
Save Our Sydney
When Chicky from Save our Sydney told us about her initiative to help small suppliers stay afloat by creating a platform for them to reach customers, we were keen to spread the word.
Save our Sydney are delivering a range of food and drink products that are usually sold directly to restaurants to homes across Sydney. The offerings are increasing all the time but at last look there was dumplings, fish, falafel, slices and cakes. There are raw, vegan and gluten-free products and artisan non-alcoholic drinks – free delivery for orders over $60.
Home Delivery
If you can leave the house and pick up your order you will be saving the restaurant a hefty commission of up to 35%. If you are in isolation, then it’s good to know some options are better than others. Drivers rates are also dire, so please tip them if you can.
The Best Home Delivery and Skip the Line Apps
Who is delivering?
This site helps you find local businesses so that you can contact them for pick up or their in-house delivery service.
Bopple
An Australian born delivery app that charges just 5.9% instead of the regular 20% plus.
Mr. Yum
Currently operating in Melbourne, Mr. Yum is about to launch in inner Sydney. They charge restaurants 4.5% commission which is way below the industry average.
Doordash
Of all the apps available, this is the only one to make a significant cut their commission of 50% for a time.
Hey You
Hey You is offering you the option to support your local cafe even if you can’t get there. Donate the value of one cup so they will still be there when you get back to work.
Tip: When you order from your local restaurant maybe add a bottle of wine to the order, it will give them a chance to make a little extra on the bottle and save you the hassle of ordering it separately.
Restaurant Meals at Home
Merrivale at Home
Enjoy your favourite Merrivale restaurant meals at home with including Totti, Freds, Berts, Vinnies and Mr Wong. Meals are delivered prepped and ready for you to put on the finishing touches. Impress your loved ones with your talent.
There is a wide delivery area, but you need to be organised as they are only offering delivery on Thursdays.
Fratelli Fresh
If you are craving an Italian feast Fratelli is offering meal kits for lasagne, prawn linguini, pizza, chicken parmigiana and more. They are also doing grocery boxes. Delivery is free.
Ho Jiak
Ho Jiak is our favourite Malaysian restaurant in Sydney, so when we discovered they were selling their meals as take-home packs, we were pretty excited.
Choose from ready to eat meals for one that keeps in the fridge for ten days or family size freezer meals. Same day delivery available.
The Grounds of Alexandria
If you live near the Grounds in Alexandria, you can get hot food delivered. For those further afield in the eastern suburbs, inner west, lower north shore and south as far as Rockdale, you can get the Grounds Ready Meals delivered to your home. Perfect for Mothers day meal or special occasion.
Groceries and Fresh Food
Avoiding the chaos at the supermarket is an excellent motivator for buying direct, but once you do, the quality offered by these producers and the knowledge that your money is going directly to support their farms and business will hopefully convince you to keep it up.
Fish and Seafood
While the fish markets are still open (order online and pick up) several of the wholesalers at the markets are offering delivery in the Sydney metro area.
De Costi
Along with seafood they are offering meat, fruit and vegetables and bread. Free delivery over $100 or $10 below. Wide delivery area in metro Sydney.
Claudios Seafood
Wide delivery area $25 delivery charge or drive-through pick up.
Peter’s
Peter’s is offering free delivery within 20km of the markets. They are also offering drive-through pickup if you order online.
East 33
Get fresh shucked or unshucked oysters delivered to your door across much of Sydney through East 33.
Meat and smallgoods
Our Cow
Order direct from this Northern Rivers farm, Our Cow deliver ethically raised, hormone-free beef right to your door. They have a range of packs and, for real beef lovers, a subscription service.
Bundarra Berkshires
Bundarra Berkshires can deliver you nitrate and gluten-free fresh pork and cured ham products directly from their farm in the NSW Riverina.
Moorlands Biodynamic Lamb
Moorlands Biodynamic Lamb delivers half or whole lambs approximately once a month for you to collect from Eveleigh.
Feather and Bone
Now delivering pasture-raised and artisan produce from ethical, humane farms, Feather and Bone is not budget shopping, but the quality is outstanding, and it’s as good for the planet as is possible.
Pantry Items
Foodbomb
Foodbomb is a wholesaler platform that now accepts orders from the public. Each supplier has a set minimum order, and if this is met, delivery is free. They cover all fresh foods and a large range of pantry staples and cleaning supplies.
Drinks
No matter your poison you can get it delivered right to your door.
Coffee
If you are up to brewing your coffee at home, there are a couple of local roasters that offer top-shelf coffee beans delivered right to your door.
Reuben Hills
Reuben Hills has a popular coffee subscription service which they have made a few changes to for the current situation. You can now order a subscription for either filtered or espresso coffee delivered to your door once a week for 2, 4 or 6 weeks.
Sample Coffee
Sample Coffee based in St Peters is doing pick up or delivery of their great range of coffee. They are also selling bagels, bread, cookies, cheese and other ethically sourced pantry staples for pick up or delivery to the inner west.
The Grounds have a massive sale on their beans with prices as low as $15 a bag and $36 a kg.
Beer and Cider
The Independent Brewers Association is asking us to support our local breweries so they can survive the bar shutdowns. Follow the hashtag #KeepingLocalAlive and as far as possible buy direct from your favourite local breweries either with pick up or delivery. You can find the full list of breweries participating on this page.
Find My Growler?
Find My Growler? helps connect beer drinkers with pubs offering tap beer to take home in growlers.
Young Henry’s
Most of Sydney’s local craft brewers are selling direct for pick up with many offering deliveries Young Henry’s has free delivery on orders over $100
Check the Hashtags #webrewforyou #supportyourlocalbrewery
Wine
Why not support a local wine region by ordering direct.
Cupitt’s Estate
Cupitt’s Estate down in Ulladulla, an area already facing bushfire recovery have a great range in their online shop with a lovely prosecco and plenty of white varietals. Delivery available across the state. Mothers Day gift packs available.
Exclusively MUDGEE
Exclusively MUDGEE sells all sorts of booze created in the region with a considerable wine selection of course but also a range of beer and spirits. We recommend this Lemon Myrtle Liqueur for something different and delicious.
Tamburlaine
Finally our pick for the Hunter Valley, and this was hard because there are so many great producers here is Tamburlaine who make award-winning organic, vegan-friendly, low sulphur and no added sulphur wines. Lots to love here and a good mix of price points.
Spirits
Poor Toms
Poor Toms offers $10 delivery or pick up from Marrickville on their range of gins and mixers. They will also throw in a free sanitiser that smells good enough to drink!
Manly Spirits
If you have not had a chance to taste the exciting (and delicious) spirits being made in the northern beaches you are in for a treat. The range of offerings including gin, vodka, whiskey and liquors are produced using Australian botanicals and ingredients like Finger Lime, Lilly Pilly, Anise and Lemon Myrtle and even sea lettuce. A great gift or treat for self-isolation.
Sydney Markets that Have Moved Online
Cambridge EQ Markets
Cambridge EQ Markets is currently closed, but they are selling fresh food, pantry staples, flowers and more. Delivers available to the Eastern Suburbs, South East, Inner West and Lower North Shore on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.
Carriageworks Farmers Market
Carriageworks Farmers Market is also closed, but their website is now a directory of their stallholders websites so you can shop online.
Tramsheds Growers Market
Tramsheds Growers Market is available online get your olives, baked goods, including Brickfields flour.
The Rocks Market and Kirribilli markets
The Rocks Market has also moved online and is an excellent option for locally made gifts. Their site will direct you to individual stallholders online stores so you can support them while they wait for the markets to reopen. Kirribilli markets are doing the same thing with another great selection of designers.
Some growers markets are still operating but with strict social distancing rules. These include Bondi produce markets on Saturdays.
Celebrating Special Occasions at Home
A birthday in isolation does not have to be sad. Here is our step by step guide for those challenged in planning birthday celebrations.
- Order a seafood platter from De Costi or a meal from Merivale at Home
- Order drinks from Hand Picked Wines – deliveries of wine and cheese up to 25km from the city centre. only 3 hours notice needed.
- Order a cake from your local cafe or bakery
- Order flowers from The Daily Bunch
- Choose a gift from a Bushfire Bounce Back supplier or one of the Aussie suppliers in the Buy from the Bush campaign.
Gifts
Vouchers
Buy a voucher for your favourite restaurant, cafe or a ‘virtual bar tab’ from your favourite local bar, or any place you usually shop.
Books
Need something to read? Your first thought might be Amazon, but local bookseller options are in good supply. Our go-to for online ordering is generally Booktopia but check your favourite bookshop too as many are now offering free delivery.
Booktopia
Booktopia is 100% Australian owned, and their prices are reasonable, not always the cheapest but quite often for local content they are. They also have some great sales. Qantas members can also earn 4 points for every $ they spend.
Hampers
Local and Co based in the Macarthur region have hampers full of local products for a range of occasions.
Art and Craft Class with Supplies Delivered
Class Bento who run a range of fantastic Fun Online Classes Live & Craft Boxes across Sydney are offering online classes and they deliver everything you need before the class date.
We will keep adding to this list so drop us a note or leave a message on our FB page to give a shout out to your favourites.
Before you go, check out our guide to Virtual Sydney or our list of easy bushwalks to find one near you.
