Good & Fugly works hard to be “Good for you, Good for the Planet and Good for Farmers.” We are grateful that this mission and our food-wasting fighting boxes filled with delicious discovery have many fans –and a select group of super fans. Super fans love our boxes and are experts at lovingly extracting all the goodness from the fuglies on offer, week after week.
Greg Culpan is one such fan, and we sat down with him to discuss what got him to try Good & Fugly in the first place, and where he finds value in our service.
What inspired you to give Good & Fugly a try in the first place?
We were getting something similar from our daughter, who was using another service where she lived in Kings Park.
We got what Samantha could not use or did not know what to do with - in other words, her leftovers! My wife, Mandy, in the meantime, was looking on Facebook for a service that we could use ourselves, and came across an ad for Good & Fugly so we started the service ourselves.
How has your experience been with the quality and taste of the produce delivered?
I do find that services like this aren’t providing the most aesthetic of produce. However, that’s right there in the name with Good & Fugly, and this has been the most consistent and highest quality of what is around.
How aware were you of the food waste problem and the challenges that farmers face with having to discard their "fuglies" before discovering G&F?
Both my wife and I are concerned about this. For instance, we know that most pear farmers around Australia have closed as pear imports are cheaper.
I am sure other farmers are struggling just as much. Supermarkets are always looking for cheaper and most imports are heavily subsidised, and quality is severely compromised. For example, catfish and prawns from Vietnam are huge imports into Australia and the produce itself always looks so good in supermarkets. Unfortunately, the product is often fed antibiotics to increase size, and we’re concerned about that,
We, like many other Australians, would love to help local farmers but are unsure of what we can do, other than visiting farmer’s markets. So I believe that the Good & Fugly service does help to alleviate our concerns.
What do you think sets Good & Fugly apart from other fruit and vegetable box services?
I know that I will get some common staples each week, and I am always aware that the quality is high compared to other services that I know.
Additionally, the service, support and engagement with the customer base is excellent. I found the webinar aspect of the Good & Fugly service to be unique.
What is your favourite aspect of the Good & Fugly service, and why?
I love knowing that you will drop in some items that are not that common, and this makes me think of different ways to use the produce.
I often pickled cabbage and beets, and have been able to use produce items that I have not seen for a while in fruit and veg shops.
It is great to expand on your knowledge and use your skills to innovate. But also, my motto is, if in doubt with produce just put it in soup. Nothing goes to waste, no matter how unfamiliar I am with the produce.
Could you share a memorable experience you’ve had with Good & Fugly?
I know most people would say something similar, but one day we got Romanesco Broccoli in the box and Mandy, having never seen one before, called me into the Kitchen and said, “What the hell is this thing?”
I could only say “It is a product from the Broccoli family” I knew that much but could not remember the actual name.
I then said “It’s not a problem. You like Cauliflower au gratin so we will do Broccoli au gratin” – which Mandy just loved.
So helping your home cooking is a big benefit from the Good & Fugly box too?
I think the proliferation of ready-made meals in supermarkets has taken away from the joy of home cooking for the family and the enjoyment of creating something from raw produce and eating it.
Many of the younger generation do not seem to cook, which is one of the things that adds to cost of living pressures.
There is nothing like creating, and innovating raw produce into something totally appealing and mouthwatering.
I know that most people are not trained chefs but there is so much more to food than just whacking in a microwave for three minutes and eating.
That is ultimately why I like Good & Fugly: It brings my food cost down each week and provides me and my family with the pleasure of creating tasty food that everyone enjoys.
