Professionals Tamborine Mountain 
Joseph Beutel is a name known to many of the businesses we’ve already featured: he’s been Tamborine Mountain’s local greengrocer for a decade now. Find out the story behind the man who keeps so many of the mountain’s eateries supplied with fresh goods.
by Kyle Hitchmough
You supply produce to a large amount of businesses on the mountain, correct? Can you name some?
Yeah, I do. There’s the Salvation Army, Mount Tamborine Winery, Three Little Pigs, Café Bravo, Mountain Brew, Hamptons Estate Wines, the Sports Club, Wildflower and Wanderberries, Tamborine Mountain Pizza, and Tamborine Mountain Pasta.
What is your biggest seller?
Organic Dutch creams probably sell the best. When I first started off it wasn’t organic, so I started doing a few of organics at the start, I just did more and more as I went. Now it’s about a third organic, which is good. I do find food gets pretty trendy these days. If MasterChef’s on all of a sudden people will want something you don’t normally see in supermarkets. They might want pomegranates or fennel.
Where do you source your product?
I get as much local stuff as I can, but I also go to Rocklea twice a week, and to United Organics as well. They’re a big wholesaler. When I’m at the markets, I have the main guys that I use because I know their stuff’s always good, but I also look around and see whatever’s fresh at the moment. If I see stuff that I haven’t seen before, or new stuff in the market, I always give that a go.
You also seem to have a unique selection of homemade products. Can you tell us more about that?
My mum makes all them. Jams, chutneys, relishes, rhubarb compote, and she also does soups as well. She always has nice homemade stuff. The jam’s really nice. She only uses fresh produces from the stock to make them, she’s got a commercial kitchen at home.
What goes into an average work day for you?
Some days are longer than others. I go to the Markets every Monday and Thursday. I get up at 4, drive up to Rocklea. I’ve got a bay there so I just park, walk around, select all my produce, load the van up, come back to the shop, unload it, then do my deliveries for the restaurants and set the shop back up. The rest of the time it’s just serving customers.
Are you a local yourself? What’s your opinion on the Tamborine Mountain area and community?
I live at Currumbin, but I drive up each day. Mum and dad have lived here for years, though. They used to have a café. It’s great here, the community is unreal. I don’t think I could operate a shop like this down the coast. Everyone’s loyal up here and they really enjoy their fresh food, veggies, fruit. Even in winter when things slow down a bit, people like buying their fresh produce, whereas on the coast it’s a different clientele, they buy more frozen veggies and eat out more.
Do you recommend anything in particular from your range?
Papaya’s my favourite, they’re beautiful and they’re all year round. I do love nectarines as well.
What do you enjoy most about this job?
I’ve been doing it for 10 years and it’s the only job I’ve had where I come back from holidays and I’ll think ‘oh, this isn’t too bad, actually!’ I’ve got really good customers, too. The customers make the business at the end of the day. It’s easy dealing with fruit and veg, it’s a nice, healthy product. The markets are good. It’s totally different, you go to the markets and it’s like another world. You’re not dealing with the general public, just a bunch of nice people. It’s good going to the markets yourself and seeing what’s available. You can use a wholesaler and get them to deliver it to the shop, but I find it’s best if you go yourself. You know what’s going on then, you talk to the growers and the sellers. It’s harder work but it’s better.
Do you have any interesting anecdotes from your time working here?
My first day at the markets was a bit hectic. When I bought the shop, the owner didn’t show me what to do or anything, he just wanted out. So I had to go to the markets my first time, find my own contacts… It was good anyway, to work my way through it, but I was in the deep end.
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Or email the writer at kyle.hitchmough@hotmail.com, and follow me on Twitter @realcasualrvws.
