A Wodonga fruit market has been chosen as the top Victorian-based independent fruit and vegetable retailer as nominated by their local community.
The Fresh Markets Australia (FMA) and the Central Markets Association of Australia (CMAA) announced their 2022 People's Choice Award winners for Retailer of the Year this week, with Arnold's Fruit and Veg taking out the Victorian winner's prize.
Owner-operator Louise Arnold said her shop aims to adapt to consumers' needs for fresh produce.
"We come to work every day thinking about what can we do next and how we can engage and be relevant, and this prize has said we're doing everything right," she said.
"I think we're a favourite here in Wodonga because we're a family and a lot of people can understand us, they know us in the community, or they knew our parents or our grandparents or our great grandparents.
"Our community is also our family, and winning this award makes it all worth it."
READ MORE:
Arnold's Fruit and Veg have been servicing Albury Wodonga since 1892 and have expanded to retail and housing a local butcher over the decades.
The shop came third in the overall competition, with South Australian winner Adelaide Fresh Fruiterers based in Morphett Vale taking out the national prize for the second year in a row.
The awards are part of an FMA and CMAA joint initiative called A better choice! that encourages consumers to shop locally at independent produce stores and support over 700 outlets across the country.
The initiative's national program manager James Patrick said awards recognise the diligent efforts of stores that multinational companies do not own.
"Many of [these stores] are owned and run by families who are a large part of the heart and soul of this industry and have been for generations," he said.
About 16,000 shoppers nominated 428 individual stores as their favourite independent fruit and vegetable shop as part of the awards.
