Things Perth People Like: Made in WA

Enter a food shop in Perth and you will be confronted with two choices - buy WA, or buy something from somewhere strange and untrustworthy.

In the mid 2000s National Foods faced an angry public when they started marketing the Pura milk brand in WA.  West Australians thought they were to be overrun by milk from Eastern States cows. The Parliament discussed what percentage of Eastern States milk was packaged in WA.

If it is Made in WA then you know it.  Pre-packaged carrots, almonds, milk, eggs are all clearly branded with the WA symbol so you know which product to pick up.  You will pay double for an Avocado here than you do in Sydney but it's ok - it's Made in WA.

This is not a Food Miles thing.  Western Australia is an enormous State.  It takes as long to fly to Broome as it does to Melbourne.  West Australians, however, are proud of their self-sufficiency and any suggestion from the East that they are not is roundly criticised.  Hence, our position is that we can support ourselves (with resources, grain, tourism) and we can feed ourselves (wine or olive oil from Margaret River anyone?), and in style.  Who needs the rest of Australia?

It is not only food - homewares have realised the marketing potential.  Over the weekend I saw an advert for bedding store BedShed with a stamp "Born and Bred in WA".  And as a recent returnee from the East I find myself explaining first that I was Born and Bred in WA before temporarily (16 years) decamping to the Eastern States but now have found my way home.  Conversations go so much easier after that.

Things Perth People Like #1: The Thermomix

It took Blossom, oh, five minutes of living in Perth to decide that she couldn't entertain the thought of cooking without a Thermomix.

Perth people LOVE Thermomixes. Kitchens which once proudly displayed a red KitchenAid Mixer now have a Thermomix as pride of place. And at just shy of $2K it is the undisputed trophy kitchen item of the well-heeled in the West.

Australia is the No. 6 country in the world for Thermomix sales - it seems almost all of them on counter-tops in perth's affluent Western Suburbs.

In Sydney Thermomixes are not exactly a household name, although they seem to be catching on in Melbourne - not least because the fabulous Froggie is selling them.  But the Thermomix head office is in Perth and they have clearly done a good job of cornering the market amongst the large contingent of cashed-up families of the resources boom (stick to the Melbourne market Froggie, it's saturated here).

So Perth Centric are these little counter hogs that you will know that my Perth conversion is complete if I ever buy one.  And believe me the pressure from the 13 yo is quite unbearable ever since her Uncle showed her how to make some sort of green grass hippy smoothie with his.

Until then I will continue to use my stove top, my whisk and my wooden spoon.