03/09/2026
🏆 WE WON!!! CERTIFIED ORGANIC RETAILER OF THE YEAR 2026! 🏆
Well… we’re still taking this one in. ❤️
Last night in Melbourne, OrganicBox was named Certified Organic Retailer of the Year at the 2026 Australian Organic Industry Awards.
And the timing couldn’t be more special.
Next week, on September 9, OrganicBox turns 17 🎂
And this month also marks 11 years since we bought our farm in Gumeracha.
Seventeen years of OrganicBox.
There have been incredible highs, some bloody hard lows, times we nearly didn’t make it, plenty of rebuilding, ridiculous hours and probably more than a few moments when a sensible person would have walked away. 😂
But we didn’t.
Because we have always believed Certified Organic matters.
Knowing where your food comes from matters.
Supporting Australian organic farmers matters.
And when someone spends their hard-earned money on organic food, they deserve to know it genuinely IS organic.
To have those 17 years recognised by our own industry means more to Jase and I than we can probably put into words.
But while our names might be attached to OrganicBox, the real stars of OrganicBox are our TEAM. ❤️
They’re the ones in the cold room, packing boxes, checking produce, sorting orders and somehow getting it all out the door week after week.
They care about OrganicBox and our customers as much as we do.
This award belongs to them too. 🏆
But also to two amazing humans that have changed everything for us this last 18 months, and also the last 8 months!!! These two people are the catalyst for how we have flipped our business around 100% - from thinking we would close the doors, to a 100% increase in sales, and winning awards, new opportunities and more....
Kristian Livolsi, our friend, coach, mentor, ass kicker and our greatest supporter! We are eternally grateful ❤ you believed in us, you saw something in us during our deepest darkest times. We worked on a plan, we activated that plan and now our business is completely flipped - I could go on forever because as you know, we are your biggest raving fans, because you are so special, and what we have with our Growth School family is unique, it is precious and it friggin works. I look around at all the success stories that you sit quietly behind. You are amazing.
Then Bronwyn Coles,what you have supported us (me) to get through the last year I am eternally grateful - going through those challenges, and still being able to focus on the business, but most importantly what you (and Kristian) have created in The Aligned State is again priceless - my mindset shift in so many areas this year has been insane... Thank you ❤
🫐 And then there was our little Blueberry Series…
We also received HIGHLY COMMENDED for Certified Organic Campaign of the Year!
And I have to put this one into perspective.
We were up against Bellamy’s Organic and their FIFA World Cup campaign. 😳
Bellamy’s!!!
And there was little OrganicBox from Gumeracha with our seven-day Blueberry Series. 😂
The series started when changes to permitted pesticide levels in berry farming created huge public awareness and questions from consumers.
Rather than simply saying “buy organic”, we wanted people to understand WHY.
Over seven days, we unpacked pesticide use, MRLs, systemic versus surface residues, washing produce, biosecurity treatments and, importantly, how Certified Organic is different.
That little series brought hundreds of people to OrganicBox.
But the part that mattered most was hearing people say over and over again:
“I had no idea.”
THAT is why we do these campaigns.
Education creates awareness.
Awareness gives people choice.
And informed consumers help protect the future of Certified Organic in Australia.
So we’re coming home to SA with:
🏆 WINNER — Certified Organic Retailer of the Year 2026
🌱 HIGHLY COMMENDED — Certified Organic Campaign of the Year 2026
But perhaps one of the most exciting parts of our time in Melbourne happened this morning.
The celebrations turned into conversations about what comes next for the Organic Industry.
We joined others from across the organic industry for an informal breakfast and came away feeling incredibly encouraged and excited about where this industry is heading.
Our industry is growing.
We’re talking. We’re collaborating. And, most importantly, there is a genuine appetite to work together for real change.
That means protecting the integrity of Certified Organic, tackling the scourge of greenwashing and misleading organic claims in the marketplace, and making it easier for Australian consumers to know exactly what they’re buying.
There is plenty of work ahead, but after the conversations we’ve had over the last few days, I feel more optimistic than ever.
The organic industry is getting louder, stronger and more united.
And we’re incredibly proud to be part of it.
🌱 Watch this space. We’re ALL SYSTEMS GO. 🚀
To our growers, suppliers and everyone across the organic industry who has supported us along the way — thank you.
And to our customers, some of whom have been with us almost from the very beginning…
You have backed us, trusted us, challenged us, shared our posts and allowed this little family business to keep doing something we genuinely love.
As we head into our 17th birthday and celebrate 11 years on our farm, this feels like a pretty friggin special chapter in the OrganicBox story, and with more to come!!
This one’s for all of you. ❤️🌱🏆
Jase & Vanessa xx
