Long before it was a ‘thing’, Bindle was entirely built on the ‘love local’ premise, for more reasons than one.

There is something incredibly wholesome in knowing exactly where your products have come from and what has gone into them. In knowing their origin and being familiar with these places, it creates a sense of place and connection with the product and its maker which in turn increases its value.

It’s much easier to part with your hard-earned dollars when you know you’re supporting individuals and families rather than faceless corporations. When you know the quality control is performed by a person rather than a machine.

From a business perspective, personal relationships with local suppliers also help with quality control and increase general goodwill, meaning a simple phone call can easily rectify stock or delivery issues. While the cost of higher quality local products may be more than overseas imports, you’ll save time and money on transport costs and supply chain issues and delays, which many other businesses have seen exponentially rise during the pandemic.

As well as saving time and money, sourcing locally can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of any business so you’re saving the planet as well.

The economic impact of buying local is huge. With more money circulating within the local economy, the pool will continue to grow benefitting many areas of the community. With more and more people buying local products, demand will soon outstrip supply and – hey presto! – we’ve created more local jobs.

In loving local, Bindle takes a broader perspective than ‘business’ and over the past 12 months especially, when ‘community’ has really come to the fore, has investigated, connected with and contributed to a number of local charitable organisations who are making a big difference. With a little extra support they can make an even bigger difference.

In a year of the Olympics – held in the midst of a pandemic no less - the Aussie spirit has really upped the ante and now is the time to harness this energy and comradery into local businesses and charities. Let’s get behind each other and love local, as more local support can only lead to more local success.