15/07/2026
The past week or so has been unexpectedly emotional, and really tough, until something happened last Wednesday.
Funny how these things come, exactly when we need them, when forces are trying their hardest to shut us down, to lie about us, to make it harder for us to even trade....
But then, something makes you stop and look backwards...
That something has reinforced my why…..
I was nominated for a national business award, and as part of the application I've been reflecting on the last sixteen years of OrganicBox.
At the same time, we've also been recognised with two other incredible milestones this year, one through our business mentoring community - for being "Ridiculously Persistent" - LOL doesn't that say it all!
And the other, we received a few months ago, an unexpected internationally recognised milestone in our business, and gifted a beautiful hand crafted award made thousands of miles away in Chicago... one that we'll be celebrating publicly very soon.
If I'm honest, I didn't expect any of these moments to affect me the way they have.
OrganicBox has never been about awards, or recognition.
Filling in my application, the questions weren't really about the business.
They were about purpose:
Why did you start?
What have you learnt?
What has been your greatest challenge?
Why should you be recognised?
As I looked back over the past sixteen years, I found myself reliving not only the highlights, but also some of the hardest moments of my life.
Ten years of infertility.
Leaving a twenty-year corporate career.
Becoming a single mum.
Nearly losing OrganicBox in the early years, and a few times since then.
Meeting Jason and rebuilding both life and business together.
Buying a conventional farm, and transforming it into a Certified Organic farm from the ground up, one small piece at a time.
Building our cold-room by hand.
Then the challenges:
Fires.
Anti competitive shenanigans by another local business.
Defamation by that same wholesaler.
Financial pressure.
Family Court.
Scammers.
Cancer.
Feeling like we were starting over again more times than I can count.
Looking back, I realised something.
Those challenges never changed why OrganicBox exists.
If anything, they strengthened it.
I started OrganicBox because I discovered the importance of genuinely Certified Organic food. It changed my life, and wanted to make it easier for families to access food they could truly trust.
We were home delivering before it was even a thing.
But this week I realised something I had never really put into words before.
OrganicBox has never just been about delivering fruit and vegetables.
It's about delivering confidence.
Confidence that your food is genuinely Certified Organic.
Confidence that every grower has been independently certified.
Confidence that your food has been handled through accredited food safety systems.
Confidence that if something isn't right, we'll make it right.
Confidence that the food you're bringing into your home is exactly what it says it is.
That one thought suddenly connected sixteen years of decisions.
Every conversation.
Every challenge.
Every improvement.
Every customer.
Every grower.
Every late night wondering how we were going to keep going.
And then the biggest realisation of all...
We never really truly asked ourselves whether we should give up.
We only ever asked ourselves how we were going to keep going.
What we needed to do to make sure we stayed the course, because what we do it bigger than us.
Because when you genuinely believe your work matters, giving up stops being part of the conversation.
So, whether this application goes anywhere or not, I'm already grateful.
It reminded me why I started.
It reminded me what we've built.
And most importantly...
It reminded me that every family deserves confidence in the food they bring home.
To every customer, grower, team member, mentor, family member and friend who has been part of this sixteen-year journey...
Thank you.
This story belongs to all of us. 💚
Vanessa ###
OrganicBox
